Yesterday morning, the news of the death of Itziar Castro, aged 46, due to cardiorespiratory arrest was announced. The Catalan actress died in the morning in the municipal swimming pool of Lloret de Mar, where she was with her good friend Anna Tarrés rehearsing the Christmas show of artistic swimming (synchronized) for the Kallípolis club. The emergency services tried to revive Castro, but at two o’clock last Friday they certified his death. As is appropriate in these cases, the Mossos opened proceedings and took the body to Girona for an autopsy.

“We deeply regret to inform you that Itziar Castro died tonight during the club’s Purísima stage. Itziar was part of the gala show and was spending these days with us. (…) Itziar, you will always be part of our family”, says the statement made public by the Kallípolis swimming club in Barcelona.

Itziar Castro loved life and enjoyed all the opportunities it offered, such as participating in a synchronized swimming show, scheduled for Sunday, December 17. I couldn’t say no to the call of Anna Tarrés, who was united by the fact of being aprons, that is, participants in the dinner that chef Ada Parellada organizes every year at the Semproniana restaurant in Barcelona to celebrate March 8 . Here, Itziar Castro was the soul of the meeting and came from Madrid, where he has lived for many years. Because if something defined this actress it was loyalty to friendships and commitment to social issues and especially equality. “I have many friends because friendship must be cultivated”, he told this newspaper a year ago.

She did not like being referred to as a reference for her fight against gender violence, fatphobia, bullying (which she suffered as a child) and the defense of the rights of the LGBT community: “I don’t want to be a reference, I am only consistent with what I feel”, he pointed out in that interview.

Itziar Castro, of Galician descent, was born in Barcelona on February 14, 1977, Valentine’s Day, and that’s how she was, in love with life. From a very young age she knew she wanted to be an artist by watching Concha Velasco on television: “Today my first reference has left. At the age of 5 my mother made me go to bed and I told her not until Concha stopped appearing on TV, I danced and sang with her, and if I am an actress, it is partly because of her. (…) The day he told me that I was a very good actress, you don’t know the honor and the shame that meant, my inner little girl couldn’t believe it!”. Itziar Castro wrote it on Saturday with two photos with Concha Velasco, the day of his death. He had no idea it would be his last post on Instagram. The penultimate one, dated November 29, is still a little foreboding: a letter addressed to the little girl who was in which she opens her heart about how all these years have been full of dreams, but also of pain.

In 2002, the Catalan began her career as an actress in El cor de la ciutat. Titles such as Hospital central, El gran Vázquez, Águila roja, Blancaneue, Las brujas de Zugarramurdi or El crac followed. Popularity came to her in 2017 with Pieles, which earned her a nomination for the Goya as a breakthrough actress. From here to Vis-a-vis, Paquita Salas, Campeones, La vampira de Barcelona, ??¡A todo tren! destino Asturias, Érase una vez… but no more or Rifkin’s festival. She was also a teacher at Operación Triunfo.

For a year, she was on tour with the monologue Con el corazón por delante, based on a book of poems written by her. Two months ago, she premiered a short film as director and protagonist of L@cita, which she wanted to turn into a series, and tomorrow she wanted to participate in an action in Madrid under the slogan

Cinema, music, politics and television have mourned the death of a generous, committed and dedicated woman “I like to make others happy”, she confessed to this newspaper. And so she collaborated with several oenagés and was a prison volunteer. “I’m fat and lesbian. I have everything”, he joked. And those who knew her know that she also had a huge heart that failed her on Friday. That is why she would have liked to be dismissed with the same words she used for Concha Velasco last Saturday after visiting the burning chapel: “Live life and live the show!”.