Global celebrity Tracey Ullman has told of her sadness following the death of her mother after a horrific fire in her retirement flat near Beaconsfield on Monday.

A statement has this afternoon been released on her behalf as firefighters issued a warning over the cause of the blaze.

Fire crews discovered the body of her mother, Doreen, in a Holtspur retirement flat at about 11.20pm on Monday.

The 55-year-old television star, singer, comedian and actress had huge successes in the UK and more recently in America, where she moved during the 1980s.

A message released by a spokesman said: “Tracey and her family are deeply saddened by the death of her mother, Doreen.

“The family would like to thank everyone for the kind messages they have received and ask that their privacy be respected at this difficult time.”

Well known for hit show The Tracey Ullman Show, in which legendary cartoon family The Simpsons first appeared, the Slough-born television personality has won a golden globe and multiple Emmy’s during her career.

She rose to fame in the UK working with fellow comedians Lenny Henry and David Copperfield in sketch show Three of a Kind and then later Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders in Girls on Top. Along the way she also enjoyed a brief singing career.

More recently she appeared in the musical film Into The Woods, alongside Meryl Streep and James Corden.

The Buckinghamshire Coroner’s Office has not formally confirmed the identity of the deceased at this time, and an inquest has yet to be opened.

Earlier this week residents described the moment they feared they would also not escape from the retirement home alive.