Dr Alex George says his 'world ended' the moment he found out brother, 19, had taken his own life
14 September 2020, 12:21
Dr Alex recalls being told his younger brother died by suicide
Love Island star Dr Alex George opened up about the moment he found out his brother, Llŷr, had died by suicide.
Dr Alex George, 27, has spoken about the death of his younger brother Llŷr on Lorraine, months after his tragic passing.
Speaking to the ITV host, Dr Alex said he would 'never get over' his brother's death, but wanted to continue to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and seeking help.
Alex's brother, Llŷr, was 19-years-old when he died, with the former Love Island star announcing the news earlier this year on July 24.
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Talking to Lorraine, the A&E doctor said: "It's been the toughest time of my life.
"It is something, as a family, we never expected, we were so excited for Llŷr who was going to medical school."
He went on to share the moment he found out about his brother's death.
He said: "I was at a restaurant when I found out, I had gone out for some food with my friends.
"I had a phone call from my dad, I could tell from the call, I said 'what's happened, who has passed away?', because you could tell something bad had happened, and when he said it was Llŷr, I think – world kind of ended in that sense, the world kind of came down on my shoulders almost."
He continued to explain that his other brother, Elliot, picked him up and they drove back to Wales together.
Dr Alex said they were sat in silence for most of the five hour journey, between crying and shouting and "letting out all this anguish".
He went on: "I went into different parts of my mind on that journey home, really dark parts of your mind. It was disbelief, I couldn't believe that this had happened."
Dr Alex also admitted he felt "tremendous guilt" over his brother's death.
He told Lorraine in the emotional interview: "Losing anyone in your life is very difficult, and losing someone to mental health is always very tough, especially when someone is very young, he's 19, a lot of things to look forward too.
"But mental health is like that, it shocks me in my working career, and it has now shocked me in my own personal life that you can't predict these things, and mental health can affect anyone."
Dr Alex says he wants to continue raising awareness of mental health, and help make steps towards improving support across the UK for people with mental illnesses.
He explained: "Mental health and physical health are akin, just in the same way you can have a heart attack and pass away, mental health is the same, it is an illness, and that's why it is so important we treat it like that."
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