Robbie Williams and Ayda Field have been left devastated over a double tragedy in their family following the death of both of their dogs on the same night.
Taking to Instagram on Thursday, the pop legend, 50, and his America actress wife, 45, revealed their beloved pooches Poupette and Walle died together in bed, with the losses marking the ‘closing of one huge chapter’.
In a lengthy caption, Ayda told how Poupette had been a part of her life for 18 years, being her companion before she met the former Take That star, before they went on to create a ‘blended’ dog family with the introduction of Walle a few years later.
Sharing details about their final moments Ayda told how Poupette and Walle – who served as Maid of Honour and Best Man at the couple’s 2010 wedding – passed on listening to Abba’s Dancing Queen while ‘surrounded by tremendous love’.
Alongside a series of images of the dogs, Ayda penned: ‘Today, our dogs Poupette & Walle left this planet to start an adventure in an infinite galaxy far, far away. They died together in bed, listening to ‘Dancing Queen’, surrounded by tremendous love.’
Going on to detail the backstory of their four-legged friends, she continued: ‘For those of you who don’t know about Poupette and Walle, here’s some backstory… Poupette’s been with me 18 years.
‘From the day we met, she was my soulmate. I was a single girl, and all of a sudden, with Poupette, I was a ‘single mom’:)
‘Everyone that knows me, called Poupette ‘my shadow’…because wherever I’d go, she was right behind me. It’s weird how you can share so much with a being that can’t communicate back in the same language. But, that’s the beauty of unconditional love…it needs no words.
‘When I met Rob 6 months later, I told him Poupette and I were a package deal. Rob, at the time, had 3 big dogs & I assumed he’d balk at the idea of having to take a tiny, white, fluffy dog on the streets, shouting ‘Poupette’ with a Northern English accent.
‘But, Rob immediately fell in love with her and all of a sudden, the big tattooed, popstar… became a small-fluffy-dog kinda guy.
‘When things got serious a year later, we decided to expand our family and get a dog together.’
Moving on to how Walle came to be in their lives, Ayda said: ‘There was no doubt the day we met Walle, this was the boy for us. He cuddled us & kissed us & chased us all around. From that day forward, on 4th of July, we officially became a blended family:)
‘2 years later, when Rob & I decided to tie the knot, we knew exactly who we wanted for our bridal party…our dogs. Poupette was, naturally, my maid of honor & Walle was Rob’s best man.
‘Through the years, Poupette & Walle have been there for the birth of all 4 children, multiple tours, countries, & all the ups & downs that life has thrown our way the past 14 years since we said, ‘I do’.
‘As time has gone on, we have had to say our sad goodbyes to each of those bridesmaids & groomsmen… Miraculously, Poupette & Walle have held on.
‘Recently, Rob & I renewed our marriage vows. There’s a lot of things we’re facing now (more on that another time) and we wanted to celebrate what was good in our lives; family & love.
‘Just as 14 years ago… Poupette was my maid of honor & Walle was Rob’s man.’
The star went on to add that the dogs were ‘holding on’ for the couple’s big day as they ‘really needed them’.
She continued: ‘I think they were just holding on to make sure they showed up for ‘Mom’ & ‘Dad’ when we really needed them.
‘Today marks the closing of 1 huge chapter. For the first time in 18 years, I won’t have ‘my shadow’ or my little fur besties to greet me at the door. The sadness might be hard to comprehend for anyone who has never had a pet they loved.
‘I suppose these words aren’t for you. But for those of you who’ve had a fur bestie, a soulmate like Poupette or Walle, that you lost…I offer my teary hug. Hope it helps.’
Concluding the heartbreaking post, the mother-of-four added: ‘Poupette and Walle. You watched me grow from a girl to a woman, and supported me for all my adult life. I love you with all my heart. May you rest and play together, forever and tell me all about it when I see you again.’
The post was met with a plethora of sympathetic messages of condolence from their fans and showbiz pals.
The family tragedy comes just weeks after Robbie revealed that he and Ayda have secretly renewed their wedding vows after 14-years of marriage.
The singer, who shares four children with his wife took to Instagram earlier this month with a bizarre post where he also revealed the downside of his new teeth.
At the bottom of a very lengthy statement, in which he discussed everything from the Olympics to jet lag, Robbie said: ‘Oh, Me and Ayda renewed our vows.’
Before going on to add: ‘I am very very very grateful. I’m grateful right now. I’m not in the future, tired and stressed. I’m right here right now grateful.’
He also explained how his new temporary gnashers, after years of ‘abusing’ his natural teeth, had left him unable to continue a favourite past time.