'Losing Ivan left a gap in our lives'

DAVID Cameron's mother-in-law spoke today of how the family were still grieving and "raw" over the sudden death of her grandson two months ago.

Lady Astor, 60, said the loss of Ivan, six, who suffered from cerebral palsy and epilepsy, had left a "terrible gap" and paid tribute to her daughter, Samantha Cameron.

She said: "Ivan changed our lives. He will always leave a terrible gap: he taught us so much, and obviously it does still feel very raw. It takes time, and I find the pain of looking at my daughter and her sadness very hard. They say it takes two years until you can look back and actually think about the person you have lost without sadness."

She added: "Samantha went back to work after a month, for a few days a week, because I think she felt she needed to. It was a real shock, but life must go on."

Lady Astor, a businesswoman who runs the home furnishings company OKA, was speaking for the first time since Ivan's death in February.

She commended the NHS care that Ivan received: "It is amazing how parents cope with disabled children - particularly in some areas in the country where they don't get any help at all, but we were amazed by the help we received with Ivan."