Remembering Nanny Pat: A look back at her very best moments

TOWIE's Nanny Pat was an absolute diamond...

It’s hard to believe it’s been two years since TOWIE matriarch ‘Nanny’ Pat Brooker passed away.

Famed for her sausage plaits, sharp one liners and unconditional love for her family, Nanny Pat was mourned across the nation when she sadly passed away on 16 December 2015.

Pat, 80, was a mum-of-five and had 14 grandchildren, including TOWIE originals Mark and Jess Wright.

On the anniversary of her passing, Closer Online decided to take a look back at some of her finest moments on the ITVBe reality show.

We miss you, Nanny Pat!

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NANNY PAT: SAUSAGE PLAIT BAKER

Introduced to her adoring public during the first series of The Only Way Is Essex, Nanny Pat was often seen feeding grandson Mark with her now famous sausage plait. Delivering a side of advice with every portion of the tasty savoury snack, Pat would always offer a sympathetic ear to any of her brood.

“What do you really want though, Mark?” she asked pointedly, when he was in the middle of his latest love crisis with then-girlfriend Lauren Goodger. Not Lozza, as it eventually turned out.

NANNY PAT: TALENTED RAPPER

Who could forget Pat’s talents as a killer lyricist? Granddaughter Jess might have been the one trying to crack the world of pop, but Nanny Pat blew her out of the water when freestyling some sick lyrics.

“I went to get a pint of milk and I was wearing silk,” she rapped.

Brrrrrap! Big up ya’self, Nanny Pat.

NANNY PAT: AMATEUR SWIMMER

Nanny Pat had never learnt to swim before visiting a local pool with Mark, explaining that it just wasn’t the done thing back in her day.

But she found time to dish out more love life advice to her grandson, wisely telling him: “You’ve just got to follow your heart, whatever you do.”

She added: “You know I’ll always be there for you, don’t you?”

Our hearts = melted.

But Mark then had the cheek to playfully poke fun at her colourful swimming cap, calling it “horrific”.

Not taking the insult lying down, Pat fired back: “Listen here, you wish you’d have had my hat instead of getting your bloody hair wet. Don’t be so saucy, you git.”

NANNY PAT: ESTATE AGENT

As one of Mark’s closest confidantes, Nanny Pat helped advise he and Lauren when they were house hunting around Essex. But things between Mark and his family had soured since his engagement.

“Well, you must sort it out, Mark,” Pat advised. “Because at the end of the day, you and mummy and Jessica was close – you know, you can’t afford to leave it as it is.”

And after Pat explained that her mortgage used to be just £10 per week back in 1968, Lauren piped up, saying: “No way! What’s happening to the world?” Quite.

NANNY PAT: FLIRT

Using a mobility scooter during her final days, Nanny Pat spent time with granddaughter Jess in the Essex countryside. But when bumping into Pete Wicks, who Jess had recently met in Marbs, Pat wasn’t shy about being forward.

“And where did you meet this handsome fella from?” Pat asked Jess, gesturing towards hunky Pete. “He smells nice.”

‘Atta girl, Pat.

NANNY PAT: VIRAL STAR

Remember the Harlem Shake? The 2013 viral video spread like wildfire across social media. And it turns out Nanny Pat was a pioneer of the trend, starring in TOWIE’s own version, The Essex Shake.

Spoiler alert: She’s the one dressed as a carrot.

NANNY PAT: GLAM-MOTHER

Cast your minds all the way back to when Amy Childs used to dish out vajazzles in her home salon – do you remember Nanny Pat dropping in for a makeover?

Amy asked Pat if she’d like to opt for the “natural look” or more of a “Jordan look”, referring to Katie Price. Sensible Pat chose to go au naturel, to surprisingly good results.

Asked what she’d like to look like after her make over, she responded, “Something like when I was 18.”

Mission accomplished, honey.

NANNY PAT: BIRTHDAY DIVA

Celebrating her landmark 80th birthday, the cast of TOWIE threw Nanny Pat a party worthy of a Queen – literally.

Held at Addington Palace, the fancy dress theme was the Royal wedding, with Nanny Pat attending as the guest of honour.

Getting totes emosh at the bash, Pat opened up about her late husband Charles after receiving a picture of him as a gift from Jess.

“He's everywhere,” Pat said, tearfully. “Thank you, Jess. That's really lovely."

Taking the mic at the end of the night, Nanny Pat dished out some words of advice that we’d all be wise to stick by.

“I want to say a big thank you and you only live once,” she said. “What is it? YOLO? Thank you very much."

NANNY PAT: QUEEN OF SHADE

If you thought Nanny Pat’s best moments were limited to the confines of TOWIE, you’d be sorely mistaken.

She once appeared on Celebrity Juice as a surprise guest, and managed to simultaneously dazzle the crowd while hilariously throwing shade at daytime TV fave Holly Willoughby.

Superfan Holls reminded the reality legend that they’d met at an ITV event, but Pat admitted that she simply couldn’t remember.

Nanny Pat, we salute you.