British pole dancing champion, Jess Leanne Norris has died suddenly at the age of 27 after posting that she was finding the Coronavirus lockdown ‘so hard’.
Norris, from Bolton in Lancashire, was a two-time winner of Miss Pole Dance UK.
The details of how Ms. Norris died have not been revealed, but last year she launched a fundraising drive in aid of mental health charities.
The news of her death comes two months after she shared an emotional post on Facebook saying she was finding lockdown ‘so so hard’ and that a lot of us are feeling ‘stressed, lost and lonely’
The post on April 4 read: ‘I myself am finding this so so hard…it always takes me time to adapt to ‘change’ mentally as I’m one to need structure to cope with mind!
‘A lot of us are all feeling stressed, lost & lonely… but please don’t feel alone… We’re all in this together.’
Kay Penney, the founder of Miss Pole Dance UK, described Miss Norris as a “national treasure”.
She said: “Thank you for your contribution and as a true ambassador for the aerial arts, touching so many lives, hearts, and souls, lifting many of us with your entertaining, unforgettable and mesmerizing routines.
“Thank you for your unquestionable dedication and sharing your talent through many classes, masterclasses, camps, events and competitions.
“You shone like a beacon of hope on so many stages and your legacy will live on forever in the history of pole and personally as my pole daughter, who constantly showed your gratitude over the years and during your reign as double female singles champion.”
Lee Hill worked with Miss Norris in 2014 and said: “She was a really bubbly person and she was so passionate about her work.
“She made an instant impact and her classes were always full of people, she was very popular.
“Jess was very business-minded. She was very driven and wanted to keep improving.
“She had a great presence about her and she touched so many lives, she had a massive impact in that industry, not just in Bolton but across the country.
“She had a really natural gift for coaching people, she could be a real task master when it came to training but she always led by example and she never just stood there and ordered people about.
“She did the work with them.”
