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The former Only Way Is Essex star Joan Collins – mother of Gemma – has passed away at 70 after contracting life-threatening pneumonia twice in the space of six months.

Announcing the news on social media, the 45-year-old TV personality said her heart was 'shattered into a million pieces'.

'Today, every piece of my heart left with you,' she wrote in an Instagram caption.

Although Ms Collins' cause of death has not yet been revealed, her daughter previously shared her battles with the deadly infection that affects the deepest part of the lungs.

She was first hospitalised with pneumonia in 2020, and then suffered the same illness five years later – first in December 2025, and then again last month.

In June she wrote on Instagram: 'Sending my mummy so much love she has caught pneumonia but she is doing well thank you to all the wonderful nurses and doctors for looking after her. Still looking glam mummy.'

Ms Collins is the latest in a series of high profile figures to fall victim to the condition.

A fortnight ago it was attributed to the 'sudden and unexpected' death of Jurassic Park star Sam Neill.

It was also named on the death certificate of both Val Kilmer and Diane Keaton last year, who died aged 65 and 79, respectively.

And in December, Ibiza-based lothario Wayne Lineker, 64 – brother of football pundit Gary – revealed that he too almost became a casualty of the disease – which kills 25,000 people every year.

But experts have told the Daily Mail that the condition is not just an affliction of the elderly.

In fact, many sufferers may have very few symptoms, meaning it goes undetected and untreated, potentially causing long-term lung damage.

Here, doctors reveal exactly what the disease entails, and warning signs of the condition you need to know.

There are two main types: viral pneumonia and bacterial pneumonia.

Viral pneumonia – caused by viruses such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Covid – is generally milder, although it can sometimes be severe.

Meanwhile, bacterial pneumonia – when bacteria enter and infect the lungs – is often more serious and may require treatment.

The former TOWIE star, 45, took to Instagram on Wednesday evening to share the sad news with her followers

Joan battled pneumonia twice in the last six months of her life. She was admitted to hospital last month

Untreated bacterial infections like pneumococcal pneumonia 'can have quite a high mortality rate', Professor Hunter, a virus expert at the University of East Anglia, said.

In rarer cases, pneumonia can develop after food, drink or vomit enters the lungs instead of air. This is known as aspiration pneumonia.

More people die from pneumonia in Britain than anywhere else in Europe, according to lung charity Asthma and Lung UK.

Meanwhile in the US there are around 42,000 deaths per year.

Those with weakened immune systems, such as patients undergoing cancer treatment, elderly people or babies, are more vulnerable to pneumonia, Professor Hunter says.

Not only are they more likely to contract an infection that triggers the condition, their body may struggle to stop it progressing and reaching the lungs.

However, pneumonia can affect anyone – and can be life-threatening at any age.

Symptoms typically include a cough that produces mucus, shortness of breath, a high temperature, chest pain and body aches.

Fatigue, loss of appetite and wheezing are also common.

Babies suffering the condition will make grunting noises when breathing, experts advise. Elderly people, meanwhile, may also become confused.

It is possible to check if you're likely to be suffering the illness by testing your blood oxygen levels, adds Professor Hunter – this indicates how efficiently oxygen is travelling from your lungs to your bloodstream.

This is done using a tool called a pulse oximeter – a device which, when clipped to the end of a finger, shines light through the skin to measure oxygen in the blood.

Professor Hunter advises that these are available to buy from many high street pharmacies, and were made popular during the Covid lockdowns with thousands investing in them for peace of mind.

Readings of around 92 per cent or lower should prompt people to seek medical attention, he warned.

Fortunately most people who develop pneumonia will not become seriously ill. And of those who do end up hospitalised, roughly 15 per cent die within a month of admission.

This figure rises to around 30 per cent if a patient is admitted to the intensive care unit.

People treated in hospital are usually given antibiotics, fluids and sometimes steroids to help fight the infection, as well as oxygen if they are struggling to breathe.

Professor Hunter says there are highly effective ways to protect yourself from pneumonia – for example, by staying up to date with pneumococcal, flu, RSV and Covid vaccines.

Stopping smoking can also dramatically reduce the risk.