Tributes paid after popular bodybuilder’s sudden death
TRAGEDY COMES MONTHS AFTER DAUGHTER’S BIRTH
HE was the popular bodybuilder who pursued physical perfection and adored his young family.
But now the grieving parents and friends of Ben Harnett have been left devastated by the dadof-one’s sudden death at the age of just 37.
Bodybuilder Ben, from Choppington, Northumberland, was found dead in his home on February 2 by his devoted dad.
Tributes have poured in for the 37-year-old, who passed away just five months after the birth of his daughter Gracie.
Now, heartbroken parents Ben and Tish have emotionally opened up on the despair of losing their beloved son too soon.
Tish said: “It’s devastating. Our lives will never be the same again. Losing a child as parents is not the way it should be.
“There will never be another Ben. I’ll never be the same without him.”
Dad Ben added: “The grief is so hard. We’ve found it a lot easier being around family and friends.”
Ben was raised in Choppington with his older sister Julie, and attended the village’s nursery and infants’ school and then Mowbray Primary School.
He helped out with the family’s milk business by carrying out deliveries before lessons at Bedlington Station High – now Bedlington Academy.
After leaving school, Ben had a brief stint with the fusiliers before training to become a dump truck driver. He enjoyed several jobs around the North East before his latest position with Banks Mining.
But Ben’s passion in life was working out at the gym and competing at bodybuilder contests.
Tish, 62, said: “He loved doing it. It took dedication for him to prepare for each show. It was his release from working the long hours.”
Dad Ben said: “Some people like having a drink. For Ben, he enjoyed the gym. It was his life.”
Waking up at 5am, Ben would work 12-hour shifts before working out at the gym.
The bodybuilder avoided alcohol and would eat up to eight meals a day to prepare for national competitions.
Trophies flooded in from 2008 onwards, but Ben’s greatest achievement in life was his wife and daughter.
Ben enjoyed eight months of married life with Emma, 24, and the loved-up couple doted on Gracie.
Tish said: “Emma was his world. He was family-orientated, he loved being with all of us.”
Dad Ben added: “He loved being here all the time.
“He posted about Gracie on Facebook nearly every day because he was so proud of her. “
Ben managed to juggle his bodybuilding ambitions and family life with a busy social life.
The cheeky dad regularly posted videos to his Instagram and YouTube accounts, and a clip of him running around Asda in Ashington dressed as a turkey racked up more than 5,000 views.
He also found time to support friends in need, with tributes paid after his death labelling him an “inspiration”.
Dad Ben said: “I didn’t realise that many people knew Ben.
“Everyone was saying how he was an inspiration and had helped them out. Someone said he helped them through a difficult part of their marriage. There was a lot of heart-warming stories about him.”
Tish added: “He was a very sociable person who would give his time to people ahead of himself.
“He was the nicest, most downto-earth kid you would ever meet. An emotional farewell to Ben was held at St John’s Church in Bedlington on Friday.
The dad-of-one was laid to rest at Netherton Lane Cemetery, and the family is now looking to provide long-term support for Gracie. A Go Fund Me page called Gracie’s Trust Fund has been set up.