POPULAR York Pilates instructor Grace Hucey has died after a long and brave fight against cancer.

Friends and family from across the country will gather in York to remember Grace in a celebration of her life - followed by dancing.

Raised in Kent, Grace settled in Huntington, York, in the late 1990s. She was a presenter on York TV, worked in retail, then become a Pilates tutor and personal trainer at David Lloyd gym. She also taught at York College.

Her cousin, Joy Williams, said: "Grace loved York. She was a vibrant, welcoming person. When you met her, you wanted to meet her again. She had lots of very good friends and was always the life and soul of the party."

She added that Grace, who was single and whose age was a closely-guarded secret, was great fun and loved fashion. "She was young at heart, in her dress, her appearance and didn't look her age."

Joy said Grace planned her own funeral to reflect this. She said: "She didn't want people to be sad. She wanted to have the funeral on a Friday so most of her friends who work could attend the disco in the evening and not have to go to work the next day. She said: 'I want all my friends to be there and imaging that I am there, dancing with them'."

Joy paid tribute to Grace's many friends who supported her in the past two years, taking her to hospital appointments and visiting her regularly at St James's Hospital in Leeds, where Grace spent the last ten months of her life battling cervical cancer.

Joy said Grace was determined to fight the disease even in the darkest hours when oncologists told her that her cancer had returned.

"She was very brave and very determined and very positive and was always looking ahead, even talking about Christmas."

Friend Nici Wood added: "There was nobody quite like her. She brought so many people together. She had a magnetic personality and drew people to her."

Grace's funeral service will take place on Friday, November 7, at 2pm at All Saints Church, Church Lane, Huntington, followed by a burial at New Lane Cemetery, Huntington. Friends and family will then gather at York Sports Club, Shipton Road, from 4pm to celebrate Grace's life with a mix of food, drink and music. Afro-Caribbean food will be served and there will be a disco.

Grace is survived by her mother Doreen, brother Michael and nephew Jordan.