Big Fat Gypsy Funeral: Paddy Doherty sobs as coffin of nephew killed in horse-cart tragedy arrives for funeral after loved ones cruise to his final farewell in fleet of white Rolls-Royces
Title : Big Fat Gypsy Funeral: Paddy Doherty sobs as coffin of nephew killed in horse-cart tragedy arrives for funeral after loved ones cruise to his final farewell in fleet of white Rolls-Royces
Link : Big Fat Gypsy Funeral: Paddy Doherty sobs as coffin of nephew killed in horse-cart tragedy arrives for funeral after loved ones cruise to his final farewell in fleet of white Rolls-Royces
- Big Fat Gypsy Weddings star Paddy Doherty shed a tear ahead of nephew Mikey Connors's funeral in Surrey
- 32-year-old's friends and relatives arrived in Ashtead in a huge fleet of 16 white Rolls-Royce Phantom cars
- Life-sized jockey, horse and cart made out of flowers were the centrepiece to Mr Connors's funeral today
- He died after hitting a car while driving a horse and cart in Thamesmead, South East London, on July 28
Big Fat Gypsy Weddings star Paddy Doherty shed a tear today after the coffin of his nephew arrived for his funeral following the arrival of his friends and relatives in a huge fleet of 16 white Rolls-Royce Phantom cars.
Mikey Connors's funeral was held at St Michael's Church in Ashtead, Surrey, ahead of a ceremony at nearby Epsom Cemetery today, nearly a month after he died in an accident in Thamesmead, South East London.
A life-sized jockey, horse and cart made out of flowers were the centrepiece to the funeral today following Mr Connors's death aged 32 after hitting a car while driving a horse and cart on the A2016 Eastern Way on July 28.
Big Fat Gypsy Weddings star Paddy Doherty sheds a tear as the coffin of his nephew Mikey Connors arrives in Ashtead, Surrey
A girl carries a sign saying 'Love you always, Daddy' into the funeral as Mr Doherty (left) carries the coffin of Mr Connors
Mr Doherty at the funeral of his nephew Mr Connors, nearly a month after the 32-year-old's death in South East London
Friends and family lean out of the hearse that carries the coffin of Mr Connors today after his funeral in Surrey
Mr Connors after being hit by a car at high speed in London and his horse had to be put down because of its injuries
Mourners travel on horses and carts as they follow the coffin of Mr Connors along a road in Surrey this afternoon
Mr Doherty was one of ten pall-bearers who carried the coffin of his nephew after the service. The coffin was held on the shoulders of ten smartly dressed men as a young girl and boy led the procession.
They held a 'WBC' boxing belt and a framed photo of Mr Connors kissing a small child. Family members banged on the side of the baby-blue coffin and shouted after 'Mikey' and 'God bless ya'.
A woman followed the coffin with a speaker, which played 'A Place in the Sun' by Stevie Wonder, followed by 'Shotgun' by George Ezra. Some of the crowd sang along, while other pumped the air with their hands.
The coffin was placed inside a white Mercedes hearse as mourners tearfully bid Mr Connors farewell. Mr Doherty leant inside the car and placed his hand on the coffin. He was clearly upset as he steadied himself against the car.
Later, Mr Connors was taken for one last race as his coffin in the back of a hearse joined a horse and cart race outside Epsom racecourse.
The funeral cortege of 16 Rolls Royce Phantoms and a white Mercedes hearse halted as an aircraft flew overhead towing the banner that read 'Mikey Connors legend RIP.'
Mr Doherty was one of ten pall-bearers who carried the coffin of his nephew after the end of the service
The coffin was held on the shoulders of ten smartly dressed men as a young girl and boy led the procession
Family members banged on the side of the baby-blue coffin and shouted after 'Mikey' and 'God bless ya'
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Golfers on nearby grounds looked on perplexed as the racers warmed up tearing along the road closed by the police at break-neck speed.
The hearse then joined the eight horse-carts as they raced at high speed along the road dotted by police officers.
Mr Doherty stood in the road shouting 'oi, oi' to keep the parade together as the horse-carts were flanked by the white Mercedes.
Inside the car immediate family took turns in hanging out the window to proudly display flags in homage to Mr Connors. The riders gave several runs across the road adjacent to the race course, as the light aircraft circled overhead.
After the final run the coffin was then transferred into a white hearse pulled by eight all-white horses with baby-blue banners which read and plumes.
The banners read 'Mikey Connors, our legend, one in a billion, king of the road'. The riders of the hearse dressed in black jackets, top hats and white breeches then rode off towards the cemetery.
Horses & carts follow the coffin of Mr Connors through the streets of Surrey today following the funeral service
Floral tributes sit in the back of a truck as it travels through the streets of Surrey following Mr Connors's funeral toda
A photo captioned 'eternal love' can be seen from the back of the Mercedes car as it is given a police escort today
A message saying: 'Mikey Connors legend' is flown by a plane as his coffin leaves the funeral in Surrey today
It was joined by around 80 family members on foot, which included seven young children in baby-blue suits and dresses.
Behind the procession was a dozen luxury cars, including Bentleys and Mercedes motors. The last family members were picked up by white Rolls Royce Phantoms and left for the burial.
Mr Connors was laid to rest to the sounds of bagpipes. As the coffin was brought into Epsom Cemetery and carried up a hill to his grave followed by a caravan of family and friends, the Celtic instruments wailed.
More than 200 people stood as the coffin passed by with many banging the coffin and shouting 'Mikey'. Children held onto blue star-shaped balloons and a pair of boxing gloves was held high in the air.
A relative of Mr Connors said: 'He was a lovely man, with a kind heart and good values. People forget among all of this that somebody has died - there is a mother with a boy lost.'
After the heartfelt send-off, Mr Connor's coffin was lowered into the ground as his family wept and comforted each other.
Mr Connors's horse, Big T, suffered extensive injuries in the accident and was put down by a vet. His brother Simey rushed to the scene of the accident after his brother failed to reach the finishing line following the race.
A mourner stands outside the funeral of Mr Connors today, following his death in a horse and cart accident
A woman followed the coffin with a speaker, which played 'A Place in the Sun' by Stevie Wonder, and 'Shotgun' by George Ezra
Mr Connors, the nephew of Big Fat Gypsy Weddings star Paddy Doherty, was killed when his horse-and-cart was hit by a car
Two mourners arrive this morning, each carrying an energy drink ahead of the funeral of Mr Connors in Surrey
A fleet of 16 Rolls Royce Phantom cars arrive at St Michael's Church in Ashtead, Surrey, for the funeral of Mikey Connors
Close friends and family arrive this morning for the funeral of the traveller who was killed in a horse and cart accident
Speaking about his death at the time, Simey said on Facebook : 'My heart is in bits over you ... I saw you lying on the ground I ran over and got on my knees to beg Jesus and Mary for you to be OK.'
Today, each of the Rolls Royce Phantoms had two light blue flags with the text 'Mikey Connors, our legend, one in a billion, king of the road' as they blocked the road on their arrival to the church in Ashtead.
Gypsy men arrived at the church wearing black shirts, tucked-in polo shirts and dark wraparound sunglasses, while high-heeled women turned up with pushchairs - clutching cans of energy drinks and cigarettes.
A white Mercedes funeral car then brought Mr Connors's coffin to the church as around 200 people gathered outside to pay homage before going inside. The entrance to the church was marked by a red carpet and a blue 1977 Bedford pick-up truck.
Inside the classic truck's window was a small poster dedicated to Mikey, with the text 'our one in a billion'. The burial is due to take place two-and-a-half miles away, at Epsom and Ewell cemetery.
A lavish send-off - complete with symbolic memories of the racer's life - was planned. Leading to the grave was a 50ft red carpet - which ran through the site, surrounded by trees and a view of London in the distance.
A large horse and drawn cart stood made of flowers, with a blue wreath and rider made of green flowers - complete with a white helmet and a Nike tick on his breast.
Two women arrive for the funeral in Surrey which took place a month after the death of Mr Connor in South East London
A view of the grave site of late traveller Mr Connors ahead of his funeral today at Epsom Cemetery in Surrey
There were flowers adorning large photos of Mr Connors and his family - from holidays to Universal Studios to smiling family portraits with Mr Doherty.
Written on one shrine was '352 World Record' - possibly relating to horsecart racing - clearly a major part of Mr Connors's life.
There was also a small white bungalow of flowers with a black roof and brown trim - written on top was 'may you get the best bed in heaven'.
Finally, a Rolex watch was made of brown flowers - displaying the time of 2.46, with the date '21'.
Following Mr Connors's death, a man was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving. A police spokesman said: 'The driver of the car, a 30-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of death by dangerous driving.
'Officers from the Met's Roads and Transport Policing Command are leading the investigation. We are appealing for witnesses to come forward; in particular, motorists who may have dashcam footage.'
Mr Doherty is an Irish former bare-knuckle boxer who rose to fame in the Channel 4 documentary series Big Fat Gypsy Weddings and later became known for winning Celebrity Big Brother series eight in 2011.
He was also famously befriended by speaker's wife Sally Bercow, appearing alongside her in Celebrity Big Brother and starring in reality show When Paddy Met Sally. She later took Mr Doherty and his wife on a tour of Parliament.
Big Fat Gypsy Funeral: Paddy Doherty sobs as coffin of nephew killed in horse-cart tragedy arrives for funeral after loved ones cruise to his final farewell in fleet of white Rolls-Royces
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Big Fat Gypsy Funeral: Paddy Doherty sobs as coffin of nephew killed in horse-cart tragedy arrives for funeral after loved ones cruise to his final farewell in fleet of white Rolls-Royces
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