Tim Lovejoy has described the moment his younger brother passed away and called it a “numbing” experience.
The Sunday Brunch presenter, 52, spoke honestly about the family tragedy 16 years ago.
What happened to Tim Lovejoy’s brother?
Speaking to the On The Marie Curie Couch podcast, the dad-of-three opened up about the tragic death of James from pancreatic cancer.
James was only 37 years old.
Tim said that his brother had experienced stomach pains while on his honeymoon.
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On his return, he was reassured it was nothing more than irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
But tests revealed something far more sinister – pancreatic cancer.
What did Tim Lovejoy say about his brother’s death?
Tim movingly described James’ final days, saying that he was “afraid” and didn’t want to talk about his terminal condition.
“He was scared and he didn’t want to talk about it,” he told the podcast.
You know, I wish I could have had conversations with him about death.
“You know, I wish I could have had conversations with him about death.”
He went on to say that during one of the last times he saw his brother, his body was “shutting down” and he didn’t feel like talking.
TV presenter and podcaster @timlovejoy talks about grief, coming to terms with loss and finding beauty in death in the latest episode of 'On the Marie Curie Couch': https://t.co/pYrjzJTVwp pic.twitter.com/p99B28eIi8
— Marie Curie (@mariecurieuk) September 26, 2020
What else did the Sunday Brunch host say?
When Tim received the final phone call informing him that James had passed away, he said he felt “mixed emotions”.
“It was absolutely incredible and numbing. No one knew what to do.
“You have anger – it was anger towards why this had happened to my brother and there’s a myriad of emotions that hit you.”
Dr Phillipa revealed her diagnosis
Cancer affects so many people across the world.
Earlier in September, This Morning’s Dr Philippa Kaye revealed that she had been diagnosed with bowel cancer.
As she spoke to co-host Phillip Schofield, she urged viewers not to put off seeing their GP if they experience symptoms.
Read more: Christine McGuinness issues charity plea following mum’s breast cancer diagnosis
“When you’re young and even as a doctor you think, ‘This cannot be cancer’.
“I had [to have] three emergency caesarean sections and I had some pain in my pelvis, and assumed it was down to scar tissue. So did my GP.”
She later said on Instagram: “One in two of us will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in our lives, but this much feared diagnosis does not have to mean game over!”