Children’s TV favourite Paul Elliott has opened up about the pain of losing his Chuckle Brothers sibling Barry, revealing he focuses on the happy time they spent together.
The comedy star, 71, entertained millions of kids alongside Barry – who passed away in August of last year aged 73 – with their slapstick series Chucklevision, which aired on the BBC for over two decades from the late 1980s.
And he believes laughter may also be the crucial way to cope with grief following the death of a loved one – insisting the overwhelming sadness that comes with loss should not be bottled up.
Speaking to the Daily Star Sunday Paul revealed he still misses Barry “terribly”.
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But although he said that the loss “hurts inside”, veteran performer Paul also insisted he does not remember Barry “in a sad way”.
He revealed:“When you lose someone who is close to you, it physically hurts inside. It really hurts. I still miss Barry terribly.
“I’ve had a lot of loss in my life. But you can’t hold it in. You’ve got to let it out of you.
“You’ve got to cry. You’ve got to talk to people. And, later on, you have to have a laugh and a joke and remember the good times.”
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The Rotherham-born comic also reflected on how fans still regularly recall the pair’s ‘to me, to you’ catchphrase to him wherever he goes – and make sure to let him know how much they treasure memories about the act from their childhood.
Paul also noted how Barry – who kept his illness under wraps in order to keep performing – would have hated to die in a hospital.
He also claimed his older brother had visited him in his dreams to let him know there is an afterlife.
Paying tribute to Barry when his death was announced, Paul said: “I’ve not just lost my brother, I’ve lost my theatrical partner of many, many years and my very best friend.”
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