Jodie Marsh has spoken of being “broken beyond belief” after a devastating fire at her Essex animal sanctuary claimed the lives of two baby marmosets she had been hand-rearing.
The former glamour model, 47, shared her anguish with followers on Instagram on Monday, revealing that the tiny primates were killed when a blaze tore through her farmhouse over the weekend.
The fire broke out at Fripps Farm in Uttlesford on Saturday afternoon, destroying the first floor of the property and killing the marmosets, which Ms Marsh had been caring for since their mother died during labour.
In an emotional video posted online, the reality television star said the loss of the animals had left her “so broken”, describing them as “everything” to her.
Jodie Marsh shared the sad news with her Instagram followers on Monday
|“I’ve given up my whole life for them, and those babies meant everything to me. I am so broken, so broken,” Ms Marsh said, visibly distressed.
She claimed the blaze was caused by an air purifier she had bought from Amazon around six months earlier, despite following all maintenance instructions and regularly changing the filters.
“It started from an air purifier I bought from Amazon. I’d only had it for six months and I’d done everything right, changing the filters and everything, and it caught fire,” she explained.
The flames spread rapidly, engulfing the upstairs bedroom and leaving the first floor of the farmhouse completely gutted.
Ms Marsh's animal sanctuary is called Fripps Farm Animal Rescue, located in Lindsell, near Dunmow, in Essex
|Essex County Fire and Rescue Service confirmed it was called to the property at 4.56pm on Saturday, finding the building heavily smoke-logged with a bedroom well alight.
Firefighters worked to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading further throughout the house.
Ms Marsh said the marmosets had required round-the-clock care after their mother died giving birth, explaining that this was why they were being kept in her bedroom.
“The only thing I care about is that I lost two baby marmosets. Their mum died giving birth and I had to hand rear them. They meant everything to me,” she said.
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Jodie Marsh became a glamour model in 2002
|GETTY
She stressed that the destruction of her home was insignificant compared with the loss of the animals she had devoted her life to rescuing.
“That’s the biggest loss for me. This is just stuff that can be replaced. The babies dying has broken me beyond belief, because I do everything for these animals,” she added.
During the incident, Ms Marsh and friends managed to rescue 12 cats and four dogs from inside the house, using hosepipes and fire extinguishers to help tackle the flames.
She also revealed plans to leave the area permanently once repairs to the property are completed.
“I will be moving as soon as everything is fixed, as nobody wants to buy a house like this. I will be going far, far, far away from Uttlesford,” she said.
Ms Marsh added that material possessions held no value to her in the aftermath of the tragedy.
“I don’t care about my house being destroyed. I’ve lost everything that’s valuable to me, but I don’t care,” she said, reiterating that the deaths of the marmosets were her sole concern.
Fripps Farm spans five acres of North Essex countryside near Great Dunmow and is home to more than 250 rescued animals.
Jodie Marsh claimed the blaze was caused by an air purifier she had bought from Amazon around six months earlier
The sanctuary houses emus, llamas, alpacas, goats, sheep, cattle, pigs, and deer, with peacocks and chickens kept in a dedicated enclosure and geese and ducks roaming freely across the grounds.
Ms Marsh, who stepped away from the public spotlight to focus on animal welfare, is reported to spend around £25,000 a month running the sanctuary.
The costs include wages for two full-time staff members, five casual workers and the ongoing care of the animals, supported by around 15 volunteers who help maintain the rescue centre.
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