Dr Alex George has admitted he ‘doesn’t focus’ on his brother Llŷr’s death even though his grief is ‘always there’.
The former Love Island star, 30, who lost his brother in July after he took his own life, admitted he views his grief as ‘a little black box’ that he can shut away while he continues his tireless campaigning for mental health awareness.
In a candid interview for G2 in The Guardian, Dr Alex admitted that throwing himself into work has helped him to cope with his brother’s tragic passing, as he still finds it ‘tough’ when he actually stops to think about it.
Difficult: Dr Alex George, 30, has admitted he ‘doesn’t focus’ on his brother Llŷr’s death even though his grief is ‘always there’
Describing his grief in the wake of his brother’s death, Dr Alex said: ‘I think of grief as a little black box in my head. That box, it’s always in the house. You’re not focused on it, but it’s always there.
‘Every now and then, you go to the shelf, you open the box – and everything comes out. That’s when things are tough.’
In July, Dr Alex suffered the devastating lost of his brother Llŷr, who took his own life aged 19, weeks before he was due to begin medical school.
He added that focusing on work has helped him cope with is brother’s suicide, which came after his own struggles with mental health.
Challenging: The former Love Island star who lost his brother (pictured) in July after he took his own life, admitted he views his grief as ‘a little black box’ that he can shut away
Dr Alex said: ‘I think we are all aware of our flaws, and I am very aware that I’m a natural workaholic.’
The star admitted he had his own struggles with depression while living away from home at university, saying that he gradually isolated himself from others and stopped going outside until his family stepped in.
After some guidance from his parents, Dr Alex said he took up exercise and began eating well and in the span of a month his mental health began to improve.
The star said the due to his work on the NHS frontline during the Covid pandemic he’s become ‘normalised’ by the sight of death but is still spurred on in his promotion of mental health awareness.
After a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson the star has been appointed the youth mental health ambassador for the government.
Important: In a candid interview Alex admitted that throwing himself into work has helped him to cope with his brother’s tragic passing
In a recent interview with MailOnline Dr Alex said he’s been ‘overwhelmed’ by the outpour of support after initially fearing the public’s reaction – and says he’s even been congratulated by the likes of healthy food campaigner Jamie Oliver, 45.
Speaking about the reaction from his parents, he said: ‘They are very proud. We are never going to get over what happened with my brother. To have something positive come from it feels amazing. It really, really does.
‘They’re just proud really that I can do something positive. It isn’t a PR stunt – I want to actually make some changes. The pressure is now on.
‘I didn’t know how people were going to react, obviously there are people that have multiple letters after their name and I’m just someone that wants to help and it sounds cliché but I do just want to be able to do my bit.
‘But I’ve had such overwhelming support from doctors in the area, experts, students and teachers, the general public. Jamie Oliver congratulated me; it’s just amazing.’
Praise: After a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson the star has been appointed the youth mental health ambassador for the government
Inspiring: Alex has been praised for continuing to work tirelessly on the NHS frontline during the Covid pandemic
Last week Dr Alex also took to Instagram to pen a reflective post as he prepared to celebrate his 30th birthday.
The A&E doctor, 29, posted images of ‘milestone moments’ from his twenties on his Instagram page, including a photograph of himself and his late brother.
Dr Alex said he had complied the collection of ‘important moments’ but noticed there weren’t many images from his early twenties, which he credited to feeling unconfident in his skin due to acne.
He wrote: ‘On Monday I enter a new decade of my life, so I sat down to put together some photos that symbolised important moments in my 20s. A few things struck me, first of all there aren’t that many photos in my early 20s.
Looking back: Last week Alex also took to Instagram to pen a reflective post as he prepared to celebrate his 30th birthday
Tragic: He also noted the tragic passing of his brother Llŷr but said he knows his brother his ‘always with him in spirit’, in a heartbreaking tribute to him
‘Looking back I think I lacked confidence, probably because of struggles with acne and I avoided the camera. One of the things I have learnt in the last 10 years is to be comfortable and confident in my own skin, to love who I am, with all my flaws. You are not defined by how you look. Health and happiness is what matters.
‘I also noticed that other than my graduation day and my recent appointment, the things I really hold dear are the people around me, not my achievements. To my friends and family who have stood by me through the ups and the downs, thank you, I love each and every one of you.’
Looking back on an eventful decade, he said: ‘If you had asked me, when I was turning 20, if I would have experienced even half of whats happened in these last 10 years, I would have laughed and never believed it.
‘There have been incredible highs and lows along this journey, but they have all contributed to who I am today.
‘I am proud of who I am and what I believe in. As I look forward to my 30s, I do so with optimism that we can build a future where happiness, wellbeing and health is the priority for us all.’
‘I will do everything I can to help on this journey and bring real change.’
Challenges: In the interview Dr Alex also discussed his own struggles with depression during his time at university