New Addington bodybuilder, 26, dies suddenly at home

A FATHER-of-two and amateur bodybuilder has died suddenly, aged 26.

Jason Gardiner passed away at the home he shared with his father in Applegarth, New Addington, and life will "never be the same again", according to his grieving family.

His father Jason Hurn, 46, said: "He was my son but he was also my best friend. We had been bodybuilding training partners for about six or seven years. He will be greatly missed."

A funeral service was held for Jason – known as "B-Jay", meaning Baby Jason, after his father – at Croydon Crematorium on December 6.

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An inquest into his death has been opened and adjourned, but a cause of death is not yet known

His sisters, Carrie-Anne and Cherie, recalled a wonderful brother, uncle and father, whose children – Jasmine, 7, and Renee, 6 – lived in Shirley with their mother.

Cherie, 23, said: "He was a brilliant dad; he was the ultimate top dad."

The former Addington High student, a trained fitness instructor who was placed third in the UK Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation Stars of Tomorrow competition in 2011, was last seen by his family on November 4.

He was found dead the next morning by his father.

Mr Hurn said: "I had spoken to him between about midnight and 1am. He had asked to borrow my lead to put his phone in the computer.

"There was nothing wrong with him. It is just unbelievable. He was in really good health."

Carrie-Anne said: "[Jason] was normally up at six o'clock and it got to one o'clock and was not still up so he [dad] went to knock on the door. He rang me up crying and I ran over; I thought it was a joke because B-Jay was a practical joker.

"Dad did CPR on him but it was too late."

Cherie said: "This will be the first Christmas without him nicking our sprouts and eating everyone else's Christmas dinner.

"He had a fantastic sense of humour. One year he wrapped up a box and it looked like a jewellery box and we opened it up and it had a Brussels sprout inside it."

Carrie-Anne added: "I am having everyone over for Christmas dinner. I was writing a list and B-Jay's name appeared on it.

"That was when I forgot."