💔 “A PIECE OF MY HEART IS GONE…” 🐾😭

Matt Baker has announced the tragic death of his beloved Border Collie Bob.

The Countryfile star, 48, said he’d been left ‘broken’ by the pooch’s passing and thanked his ‘ultimate companion’ for bringing so much joy to his family’s lives.

Matt took to Instagram with an emotional tribute to his ‘ultimate companion’ who he revealed that sadly passed away ‘a while’ ago.

Alongside snaps of himself with Bob on his family’s farm in Durham he penned:  ‘It’s with a very heavy heart that I’m letting you know our wonderful Bob is no longer with us. He’s been gone a while but I haven’t been able to talk about it as I’ve been finding it so incredibly sad.

‘Bob was a brilliant dog he was there for me with his gentle soul as the ultimate companion through some of the greatest chapters of my life from raising our kids to all the changes we made on our family farm.

He went on: ‘It’s broken my heart but I feel hugely grateful to have had him in our lives and I thank him from the bottom of my heart for everything he’s taught me and brought to our family’.

Matt Baker’s has announced the tragic death of his beloved Border Collie Bob

The Countryfile star, 48, said he’d been left ‘broken’ by the pooch’s passing and thanked his ‘ultimate companion’ for bringing so much joy to his family’s lives

‘I’m sure all you dog lovers will agree the reason we love our dogs so much is because the only time they break our hearts is when they leave us. RIP Bob X.’

Matt’s wife Nicola, with whom he shares son Luke, 18, and daughter Molly, 16, added in the comments section: ‘What a dog. We miss him so much.’

His fans have also expressed their condolences, as one penned: ‘Oh no. Matt I’m sooo sorry. Your words are exactly what it’s like when a special animal dies. It’s tragic. Sending you hugs’

A second supporter typed: ‘I feel your pain, I lost my Border Terrier on Friday and my heart is broken. So sorry for your loss (sic).’

And a third follower wrote: ‘What an amazing life Bob had with you! …….. he will leave a HUGE space but will always be a part of you (sic).’

Bob’s passing comes after Matt shared that he has been living a ‘double life’ since he and his family moved to the Durham countryside.

Matt took to Instagram with an emotional tribute to his ‘ultimate companion’ who he revealed that sadly passed away ‘a while’ ago

Alongside snaps of himself with Bob on his family’s farm in Durham he penned: ‘It’s with a very heavy heart that I’m letting you know our wonderful Bob is no longer with us’

‘Heartbroken’ Countryfile star Matt Baker reveals his beloved pet dog has died

Fans and famous friends were quick to share their condolences

Matt – who quit The One Show in 2020 to focus on making farming shows, such as Our Dream Farm – told Total TV Guide: ‘The countryside has made me who I am. I love the pace of nature; how the seasons change, and it’s really important. I am immersed in farming. I live a double life, actually!

‘When I’m not on telly, I’m out in the fields. It’s a world I’m incredibly proud of. And it’s a world I want to make shows about. We all hanker for it.

‘I am at my most creative in the countryside. I am dyslexic, and I don’t read well, but I love animals.’

It comes just days after fans were left heartbroken following the news of Gone Fishing’s terrier Ted death.

The Patterdale Terrier mix passed away from old age at the age of 13, having cemented himself as a key part of BBC’s Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing.

The pooch, who was owned by the show’s executive producer Lisa Clark, first joined Bob Mortimer, 66, and Paul Whitehouse, 67, on screen in 2020, and soon became a permanent feature on the series through its following seasons after becoming a big hit with viewers.

Following his passing, Bob and Paul led tributes to the canine member of their Gone Fishing family, admitting they were both going to ‘miss him so much’.