Leanne Campbell has issued a heartbreaking message to a “gorgeous school mate” who is believed to have been onboard the Air India plane which crashed near Ahmedabad today. Jamie Greenlaw-Meek was a dance and yoga teacher who attended a Liverpool dance school is thought to have been on the flight with his husband, Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek,
The Gatwick-bound Air India flight 171 crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport in western India, with thick plumes of smoke seen billowing at around 9.10am BST.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft crashed into buildings before exploding. In total, there were 242 people believed to be onboard, with 53 of those being British nationals. One of those reported to have been onboard was Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, a yoga teacher who spent time at Elliott-Clarke Performing Arts School in the city.
The former BBC DanceX contestant previously told the BBC he had moved to Liverpool from Birmingham when he was 12 years old before moving to Coventry when he was 16. According to his LinkedIn profile, Jamie owned The Wellness Foundry in London with husband Fiongal.
Former Hits Radio host Leanne appears to have known Jamie. Taking to Instagram, she reshared an ECHO article to her story, she wrote: “RIP. Our gorgeous school mate Jamie.”
Jamie previously spoke to the BBC for his DanceX profile about his time living in Liverpool at just 12 years old. He said: “It was really difficult leaving home at that age, but I knew that that was what I wanted to do.
“I lived with a family in Liverpool during this period of my life and it was very difficult because the family were very different to my own and the first year was particularly hard for me.”
Leanne has been flooded with supportive messages in recent weeks. The Liverpudlian broadcast her final show for Hits Radio, formerly known as Radio City, this week having co-hosted the show for more than 10 years.
The programme was the only one left on Hits Radio Liverpool that had a direct Merseyside link, after the Radio City breakfast show was combined with the one broadcast on Lancashire’s Rock FM – which Joel hosted.
The Liverpool station and 14 others across the country were rebranded to Hits Radio last April. Since the news was announced in March, a wave of support for the presenters was shared online.
The Scouser has remained positive and upbeat and now her next career move has been revealed. She will star in The Epstein Theatre pantomime this Christmas, with her role in the show confirmed as part of a cast announcement.