Olly Murs may have forged a hugely successful career after his appearance on The X Factor, but he also had his family life wrecked.
He and his twin brother Ben fell out when Olly failed to attend his wedding because of X Factor commitments.
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Ben was furious and the pair haven’t spoken since. In fact, Ben has totally removed himself from the family and changed his name to Ben Hart – his wife’s surname – to further distance himself from the Murs clan!
But now, eight years on, Olly wants to reconcile with his brother.
“I think it’s well documented in the press now that we don’t get on. I think it’s probably the hardest thing for me, that we don’t get on now,” he tells John Bishop on his upcoming In Conversation show.
“Whenever we had an argument as kids, because we were twins, we’d go ‘ahhhh’, then sit and watch TV and we would just be normal again.”
He went on to say that when they were kids they never held on to a grudge and never fell out when at home.
Now with a wedge between them he admits he is sad and finds it tough to deal with.
“It’s hard now not ever having your twin brother around to experience this life that I have now got, knowing that we used to have an argument or a disagreement and we’d just get over it and it would be fine,” he said.
He continued that he hoped they could be fine again:
“In my head I think that I really hope that the next time I see him, and I don’t know when that’s going to be, but I do hope that will be the case.
“It sounds weird but I hope we just sit in a room and go, ‘It was a bit of a silly eight years wasn’t it?’”
Earlier this year, their mum Vickylynn Murs said she was brokenhearted that Ben no longer spoke to the family.
“It was such a shock it made me ill. I even thought I had MS – I had to use a walking stick because my legs were so weak. I also couldn’t work. I was on the verge of a breakdown”, she told the Sunday Times Magazine.
Olly echoes that heartbreak and has also shared his opinion on the impact Ben’s estrangement has had on the family.
“I don’t mind there being a story about me being in a bar and chatting up a girl, but when it comes to family, when it’s that close to home.
“I mean, we were in Paris recently when the story broke and I had no idea the story was coming, I was with my mum and we’d had a great day and I’m having to tell her, you have to see your mum break down and cry in front of you, it’s horrible.
“No one wants to see their mum cry, it’s horrible, it’s difficult to take.
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“I’m sure it’s difficult for him to see stories written about him and maybe things he doesn’t like about what we’ve said about him.”
Olly was speaking on John Bishop: In Conversation with Olly Murs, broadcast March 23, 9pm.