A former Miss Bikini Ireland and reality star has died ‘unexpectedly’ at the age of 32.

Judy Fitzgerald, who is also known for her appearance on First Dates Ireland passed away on Saturday, May 27, according to a death notice, which said she will be ‘sadly missed by her heartbroken parents Liam and Imelda, sister Lucy, brother William, brother-in-law Pedro’.

Judy, who was crowned in 2014, was a qualified fitness instructor working to pursue a career in the fitness modelling industry.

She was regularly featured in national newspapers, as well as gracing the cover of multiple glossy magazines. The Mirror reports.

She enjoyed success throughout her career, representing Ireland in beauty pageants around the world, as well as working as a model.

Judy famously took to the catwalk in 2015 during that year’s New York Fashion Week, during which she was invited by event organisers to interview participating designers about their collections, which she described as a ‘dream come true’.

When it came to her work in the fitness industry, she helped others achieve their fitness goals, providing personalised workout and diet plans via her website and fitness app ‘Judy FitZ Fitness, Get Fit with Fitz’ providing.

According to Judy, she wanted to ’empower’ clients to ‘change their lives for the better’, and ‘become the best version of themselves’ by reaching their goals.

She was an advocate of positive mental attitude through exercise and a mental health ambassador.

Competing as a fitness model, Judy was crowned overall European Fitness Model Champion 2019, and she shared her successes with her thousands of social media followers on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.

Tributes have poured in for First Dates star Judy Fitzgerald, who died unexpectedly aged just 32 on Saturday.

The TV star – who also worked as a frontline nurse and midwife – won the title of Miss Bikini Ireland in 2014 and earned her degree in nursing from University College Cork.

Just a year after winning her title, she walked the catwalk at New York Fashion Week while dressed in a red jewelled outfit. After the event, she said that the experience had been a ‘dream come true’.