Quade Cooper's touching tribute to his grandmother - 'I wish I could climb up to heaven to give you a hug'

Millie Cooper with Quade. She was a staunch defender of the rugby player. Photo / Twitter / Quade Cooper

Millie Cooper, Australian rugby player Quade Cooper's grandmother, has died.
She was in her early 80s.

Mrs Cooper, of Kaikohe in Northland, was a staunch defender of her grandson, who often visited her in the Christmas holidays and stayed at the Orrs Rd home where he spent part of his childhood.

In the lead-up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup, when criticism of the Wallabies first five-eighth was particularly intense, Millie went public with her support and urged people to "stop bad-mouthing him and leave him alone".

Millie Cooper with a photo of her famous grandson. Photo / Peter de Graaf

"He's a good boy. I suppose all grandmothers say that," she said.

Photos of her grandson, in action on the field and with the Queen, took pride of place on her living room wall.

Cooper is currently playing for Toulon in France.

"I wish I could climb up to heaven to give you a hug and tell you how much I love and miss you," Cooper wrote on his Twitter account.

"Rest easy nan."

I wish I could climb up to heaven to give you a hug and tell you how much I love and miss you.. Rest easy nan pic.twitter.com/w89QdAWhS2

— Quade Cooper (@QuadeCooper) November 10, 2015

Mrs Cooper was a sporting achiever in her own right. She was a long-time member of the Kaikohe Bowling Club and, along with her late husband Nesbit, had won a swag of medals in international competitions.

Mrs Cooper passed away on Tuesday. A service will be held at 11.30am at Te Huruhi Marae, Awarua, followed by interment in the nearby urupa.