Jeremy Rainbird, the former husband of actress Sharon Horgan, is mourning the heartbreaking loss of his girlfriend, Caroline Towning, who has passed away at the age of 42.

Caroline Towning, a renowned equine artist and the former managing director of Blacks, a private members’ club in London’s Soho, died in a hospital in Mexico. She had been living there with Jeremy Rainbird, 52, who shares two teenage daughters with Sharon Horgan.

In an emotional tribute shared on social media, Jeremy referred to Caroline, originally from Yorkshire, as “Pony,” a nickname she earned due to her love for horses.

“Beautiful Pony, the brightest shining light,” he wrote. “Forever in my heart.”

The revelation of Jeremy and Caroline’s relationship was made public just last Friday by the Daily Mail, with friends describing their bond as “tumultuous.”

The couple had been posting affectionate photos on social media from their recent travels to Los Angeles, Nevada, and Mykonos.

Sharon Horgan’s ex-husband Jeremy Rainbird has suffered the tragic loss of his new girlfriend who has died at the age of 42 (pictured Jeremy’s girlfriend Caroline Towning)

Jeremy’s whirlwind romance with actress Sharon (pictured) inspired her hit Channel 4 comedy Catastrophe, about the chaos of modern relationships

They are co-directors of fashion label Maison Rockman which specialises in black faux-leather designs and is due to launch next spring.

Caroline, an amateur showjumper in her teenage years, had voiced her personal struggles online in recent months, writing of inner ‘darkness’ and saying she ‘would rather sit in pain and create [art] than choose happiness’.

Jeremy’s whirlwind romance with actress Sharon inspired her hit Channel 4 comedy Catastrophe, about the chaos of modern relationships.

Jeremy, who’s known as Jez, made a fortune through TV shows created by Sharon, 55, including the Bafta-winning sitcom.

Jeremy was chairman of the Merman Group of companies which produced programmes including the BBC hit Motherland, which Sharon also wrote.

Jeremy separated from Sharon in 2019 and she’s currently going out with her Bad Sisters co-star Barry Ward. 

Earlier this year, she said she regretted not ending her 14-year marriage sooner.

‘There came a point where it was so clear it wasn’t right for either of us,’ she reflected. 

Caroline Towning (right), a celebrated equine artist and former managing director of Blacks private members’ club in London ‘s Soho, died in hospital in Mexico , where she was living with Jeremy (left), 52, who has two teenage daughters with Sharon

‘It’s so destructive. You get one life and that’s an awful lot of time to spend on something that’s not working.’

Sharon fell pregnant just six months after meeting Jeremy, and based her Channel 4 drama, starring Rob Delaney, on their experiences.

When the show initially came out she said to the New Yorker: ‘If it wasn’t so hard to get a divorce, I would get a divorce.’

Sharon also spoke about her divorce from her husband last year and how it has ‘changed’ her life, telling Red Magazine she felt ‘scared’ separating at first, but that she is much happier now.

She told the publication: ‘I found it scary at first, but it’s just about learning to do things in a slightly different way.

‘Everything I was relying on another person for, I was then able – for the most part – to teach myself. I’m not saying I don’t have help around me – it’s a big old thing I’m running here – but learning how to do things I was scared of has made my life richer.

‘I feel more in control and more independent. I certainly feel happier than I have been in the last few years.’

Sharon pictured with Jeremy in 2016 during their marriage

haron fell pregnant just six months after meeting Jeremy, and based her Channel 4 drama, starring Rob Delaney (right), on their experiences

Sharon also went on to speak about the ‘shame’ surrounding divorce, saying it shouldn’t be the case because it can be a life-changing decision.

‘Divorce can be a really helpful, handy thing that can change your life,’ she said. ‘There’s a lot of shame attached to the failure of a relationship, and that shouldn’t be the case.’

While in the past, the actress spoke about the storyline for Catastrophe: ‘That is what happened to me,’ she’s said, ‘so it made sense to write about it.’