Reality TV star Joey Essex talked about the impact his mother’s death had on him during Tuesday night's episode of Love Island.
The 33-year-old lost his mother, Tina Essex, to suicide at the age of 10, while his sister and TOWIE co-star, Frankie Essex, was just 13.
Opening up about his grief, the ITV2 star admitted it was “better to own it” as he spoke with 25-year-old retail manager Jess White, whose father had died a few years ago.
“I actually want a strong girl,” he told White, who said she was very close to her mum after her dad’s passing.
The TV personality continued: “I was raised by my dad. My mum passed away when I was 10. I’ve always been like... Obviously, it’s not nice do you know what I mean? Growing up.
“I found it hard for years. I never really spoke about it.
“But when you actually do speak about things, it’s like, ‘Oh!’ It’s better to own it.”
The former TOWIE star admitted that he only began to feel comfortable discussing his loss when he turned 30.
The TV personality opened up about his experience with grief in a candid BBC Three documentary, Joey Essex: Grief and Me, in 2021.
Essex said: “As a young kid, just about to go into secondary school, there’s no way out. No one understands where you’re coming from.
“People normally see me laughing and joking, being ‘Joey Essex’. Things that happened to me, I haven’t been able to talk about.”
After Essex’s heart-to-heart with White, he was tasked with “stealing” a girl from one of the brand-new couples, sending one boy packing in a brutal first-night dumping.
The Celebs Go Dating star chose to couple up with Scouser Samantha Kenny, 26, after saying she had been the most “flirtatious” in their interactions, sending 23-year-old hairdresser Sam Taylor home.
