20-year-old Hollie Gazzard was brutally murdered at the end of her shift on February 18.
Her ex-boyfriend, known locally as Asher Maslin, has since been held by police for questioning.
The couple broke up earlier this year, and one of Hollie’s close friends revealed to the MailOnline that the couple had an on/off relationship.
She said: ‘I don’t know what had happened to make them finally break up – but they were never right for each other. She wasn’t going out with anyone else.’
Police were called to the Gloucester hair salon following what they described as a ‘very nasty incident.’
Hollie was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital, where she tragically died from her injuries.
Shockingly, members of the public were reportedly filming the aftermath of the incident on their camera phones, prompting police to ask witnesses to resist uploading videos onto social networking sites.
Hollie’s family are understandably devastated by her death.
In a statement issued by police, the family said: ‘Hollie is our daughter and she was a beautiful, happy and loving girl. Everybody she came in contact with loved her, enjoyed her company, her happy nature and her sense of fun.’
‘She was at the beginning of life and to have it taken away in this manner is very hard to bear. The only comfort we have at this time is that Hollie is now free and at peace and that no harm can ever come to her.’
Hollie was passionate about her work, and wrote on the salon’s website: ‘I have always known this path was for me as I have always taken a passionate interest in hair and fashion.’
A care worker who lives across the road from the salon told the MailOnline: ‘I was shocked when I heard someone had been stabbed in there. I have lived here since 2008 and I have never seen anything like this happen here before. It is scary and quite shocking for this to happen on my own doorstep.’
Hollie’s boss from when she worked at a nearby bar said: ‘She was beautiful. She was absolutely loved by everyone who met her. She was an amazing person. We are all heartbroken to hear what has happened.’**
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