Emotional tributes are pouring in for the Cumbrian Masterchef star who died suddenly while running in the London Marathon.

Matt Campbell, 29, who was raising money for the Brathay Trust youth charity as a tribute to his late father Martin, collapsed just a few miles from the finish line of the 26-mile race.

He was among dozens of runners who collapsed as they competed in sweltering heat.

As news of the tragedy spread, those who knew him spoke of their shock at the sudden loss of such a rising star - a young man who wanted to use his success to help others.

With the many tributes came a surge in donations for his chosen charity, with tens of thousands of pounds donated in a matter of hours.

In a statement issued this morning, a spokesman for the Virgin Money sponsored London Marathon said: "With deep sadness, we confirm the death of a participant in the 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon.

"Matt Campbell, 29, a professional chef from the Lake District, collapsed at the 22.5 mile mark and, although he received immediate medical treatment on the scene from race doctors, he died later in hospital."

Matt's fundraising page shot up from hovering around his £2,500 target, to almost £24,000 within two hours of the news emerging.

Matt's career took off after he reached the semi-finals of BBC's Masterchef, bringing his unique style of cookery to millions.

In a statement, the producers of Masterchef said: "We are shocked and saddened to hear the news about Matt Campbell, one of our talented contestants from last year. It was a privilege to have him on the show.

"He will always be remembered for producing some of the most innovative and ground-breaking food that we saw on the series.

"From the whole MasterChef team, our sincere condolences and thoughts are with his family and friends.”

The London Marathon statement continued: "Matt was a well-known chef who featured in Masterchef: The Professionals last year, inspiring viewers with his Nutritional Gastronomy movement and forward-thinking ideas. He was running for The Brathay Trust and in memory of his father, Martin, who died in the summer of 2016.

"Matt’s family today paid tribute to their inspirational son and brother, who was a keen marathon runner and had earlier this month completed the Manchester Marathon in under three hours.

"Matt’s chosen charity, The Brathay Trust, inspires vulnerable young people to make positive changes in their lives: his fundraising page is here .

"Everyone involved in the organisation of the London Marathon would like to express our sincere condolences to Matt’s family and friends.

"No further details will be released and the family has asked for privacy.

"The exact cause of death will be established by later medical examination."

In an online statement today, the Brathay Trust said: "Matt was a huge supporter of our work here at Brathay Trust.

"He was introduced to us when his dad Martin bought entries to the ASICS Windermere Marathon as a Christmas gifts for Matt and his brother Josh in 2015. Both rose to the challenge and ran together in our 2016 event, younger brother Luke also excelled by winning the junior event.

"At this point we think Matt got the bug both for Brathay and for marathon running.

"For many years Martin (his dad) had been the cameraman behind the inspirational footage of Brathay’s 10in10 event (yes, ten marathons in ten days). With Martin’s untimely death in 2016, Matt took time to find out more about Brathay and, with his family, set out to raise funds for the Martin Campbell Memorial Fund.

"The aim of the fund is to support young people with mental health problems. In doing this they raised over £14,000 which has been used to support young people through our residential programmes. Matt had been planning to run his 3rd Windermere Marathon next month, again fundraising for Brathay.

"Matt was a unique inspiration, a positive person whose enthusiasm and love of life touched so many.

"In the time we knew Matt, we were all affected by his unique personality and talent. We were in awe of his flair as a chef and he was generous with his time and knowledge. We were all looking ahead to working with him on some of his culinary ideas to inspire the next generation.

"Matt gave so much to Brathay and the young people we work with.

"We are stunned and humbled by the outpouring of love and support in his memory on his Just Giving page, creating a lasting legacy allowing us to reach many more young people. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mattcampbell-londonmarathon.

"Matt leaves a huge void and we will all miss him greatly."