Online followers of an inspirational vlogger who died after a long battle with cancer have been invited to her funeral next week.

Emily Hayward, 24, from Canterbury, won the hearts of thousands by regularly posting videos of her eight-year battle with the disease.

She died on Tuesday, June 26, at the Princess Royal Hospital in Farnborough after her condition deteriorated.

In a video shared on Emily’s YouTube channel, her wife, Aisha Hasan, said she “passed away peacefully and was happy”.

“It was very sudden,” she added. “She went into hospital on Saturday. She lived right up until she died; there was no pain or distress.

“Everyone was amazing – her family was there, her close friends were there, I did not leave her side from the Saturday she went into hospital to the Tuesday when she passed away.”

Emily's fans were told of the news of her death shortly after 5pm that day when her final, poignant message was shared on Instagram.

During her final days, she was surrounded by close friends and family at her bedside.

“We were chatting to her, I was kissing her, cuddling her, everything,” Aisha said.

“I did the absolute best I could do, so did her family, her friends. She just opened her eyes, looked at me and I told her how much I loved her, how proud I was of her, how strong she’d been.

“It was her time and she just closed her eyes and went to sleep.”

Emily's battle with cancer began eight years ago after a mole on her leg was diagnosed as a malignant melanoma.

She and Aisha married in April after Emily was told the previous month that the disease had spread.

“I miss her every single minute of every single day,” Aisha said. “The days, the minutes and the hours seem so long now.

“I’m so lucky that I got to spend all this time with Emily and I’m so proud she got to share her journey with all of you.”

Emily frequently uploaded a video diary to her YouTube channel, which has more than 50,000 subscribers, and Aisha has invited them to pay their respects at the funeral.

“That’s something Emily and I discussed,” she said. “She wanted me to make sure that every single person who supported her knows they are more than welcome to come to the funeral.

“We would like people to dress as comfortably as they can, so we’re asking people to come in their sports clothes and if you’re coming from a gym it’d be really cool to wear your uniform.

“If you don’t want to wear that, wear whatever makes you comfortable."

The ceremony will be held on Thursday, July 12, at Kemnal Park Cemetery in Chislehurst.

The wake will be at the Birley Pavilion at the King’s School in Canterbury, but will be a private event for friends and family.