DR ALEX George has revealed how a powerful message helped pull him from despair after his brother Llyr’s tragic death.
The Love Island star was left devastated in July after aspiring doctor Llyr took his own life aged 19.
One of the first people Alex spoke to about it was his consultant, whose words had a profound impact and inspired Alex to rediscover his purpose and use his platform as a force for good.
The message he received read: “With family and friends we overcome the most seemingly insurmountable challenges.”
And Alex has now adopted it for launch of KIND snacks and Calm’s Driving Kindness campaign, which lets people submit a free message to a friend or family member living in Liverpool, London and Manchester that will then be shown on a digital van outside their door.
Speaking exclusively to HOAR about his own billboard, he said: “The message I put on there was a message I received from my consultant. I’ve known him for many years. He’s a very very wise person, a very clever guy. He was one of the first people I spoke to after my brother passed.
“He sent me that message because he knew I was in despair, I guess. I didn’t know what was happening in the world and didn’t know how I was going to get through that time.
“It’s such a simple and incredibly powerful statement. We all end up in difficult situations at times and the way we get through it is together. I needed that message at the time. The second part is ‘there’s always hope of a better day’, and I think that’s true and in these times. We’ve got to look to the future with optimism. I hope people take something from that and it might help others.”
Alex, who turns 30 today, said that while he has a handle on his grief, it is something that will always be with him.
This week will be particularly challenging as Friday would have been Llyr’s 20th birthday.
“During this time it is particularly hard,” said Alex. “My brother’s birthday is coming up; it’s the 19th. He would have been 20. I’ve had so much support from people online.
“It is tough. Grieving is an ongoing process. I don’t think you ever get over something like this. I describe it as a little black box in my mind, like a black box in your home it’s always on that shelf, sometimes you open the box and it’s very tough and it just sits there, you’re always aware that it’s there, it’s never hidden, it’s in plain sight but you can control it in time. I think I’m at the point where I have that element.”
Earlier this month Alex was appointed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson as Youth Mental Health Ambassador.