‘The world came down on my shoulders’: Dr Alex George tells of the ‘tremendous guilt’ he felt after the tragic death of his brother and says it was ‘the toughest time imaginable’
Dr Alex George has told how ‘the world came down on his shoulders’ when he learned that his younger brother Llŷr had died following a battle with mental health.
Taking to Lorraine on Monday, the Love Island star, 30, said he felt a ‘tremendous guilt’ as a mental health advocate and described it as ‘the toughest time of my life imaginable.’
His 19-year-old brother, Llŷr George, tragically passed away in July and was just weeks away from getting into medical school and following in Alex’s footsteps.
Emotional: Dr Alex George, 30, has told how ‘the world ended’ when he received the news that his younger brother Llŷr had passed away following a battle with mental health in an interview with Lorraine on Monday
In the first interview since Llŷr passed away, Alex described how ‘the world kind of ended in that sense’ and revealed how his little brother was a ‘little mini me’.
Speaking about the night he was told of the tragic news, he said: ‘I had a phone call from my dad and I could tell from the call. I said: “What has happened? Who has passed away?”
‘You could tell something bad had happened. When he said it was Llŷr the world kind of ended in that sense.’
Family: Dr Alex described how his younger brother Llyr George was his ‘mini me’ and the siblings shared the ‘same passions’
He added: ‘The world kind of came down on my shoulders almost. My little brother Elliot picked me up and we drove back to Wales.
‘We sat in silence for like five hours between each of us crying and shouting and just letting out all of this kind of anguish I guess.’
Speaking about his struggle to come to terms with the loss, he said: ‘That’s the hard thing, I felt tremendous guilt. I’m a doctor, I’m the older brother.
‘I always wanted to protect and look after him. What could I have done differently? I’m supposed to be a mental health advocate. It was just the worst thing.’
The A&E doctor also described how he was in ‘disbelief’ and went into ‘really dark parts’ of his mind during the journey home to Wales.
Honest: The A&E doctor described how he was in ‘disbelief’ and went into ‘really dark parts’ of his mind during the journey home to Wales
He said: ‘It was weird I went into different parts of my mind on that journey home. Really dark parts of my mind. Just disbelief – I couldn’t believe that this had happened.
‘As a family we were so proud of him and that’s why it was such a shock for all of us.’
Dr Alex added: ‘Losing someone to mental health is obviously very tough…when someone is 19, [he had] a lot of things to look forward to.’
Open: In an emotional interview Dr Alex described how the world ‘came down on his shoulders’ and told how Llŷr was his ‘little mini me’ and shared ‘the same passions’
The NHS doctor continued: ‘It shocks me in my working career and it has now shocked me in my personal life. You can’t predict these things and mental health can affect anyone.
‘We were so excited for him be was such a kind little boy. In some ways he was a little mini me.
‘He had the same passions, he loved medicine, he loved science, he was a bit geeky like I am.’
‘Disbelief’: The NHS doctor spoke on Lorraine about how ‘mental health can affect anyone’
The doctor also recently shared a Just Giving page that he set up in memory of his late brother, which he posted on his Instagram story in hopes that his followers could donate.
Just an hour after mentioning the fundraiser to raise money for mental health charities, Alex thanked his fans for their immediate contributions: ‘Wow, you guys are being so generous. Let’s do this!’
Alex confirmed that his brother’s funeral took place at the beginning of August.
Lorraine on ITV weekdays from 9am.
If you have been affected by this story, please call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org
Tragic: Llyr died just weeks before he was due to follow in his older brother’s footsteps and start medical school