Dr Alex George, the former NHS doctor turned mental health campaigner, has criticised Britain's approach to grief, calling for a cultural shift in how the nation deals with loss. In an interview, he reflected on his own experiences of grief, including the death of his younger brother Llŷr, who died by suicide in 2020 at the age of 19.
George, who rose to fame on Love Island in 2018, said that during the pandemic he witnessed the 'horrific' impact of restrictive visiting rules on grieving families. 'We couldn't provide the level of care necessary and it made me feel like the devil,' he said, recalling how he had to tell families they could not say goodbye to dying loved ones in person.
The 32-year-old, who was appointed the UK government's youth mental health ambassador in 2021, said that after his brother's death he had to 'grab our family in freefall' to prevent his parents from becoming 'dead or sectioned'. He spoke at the funeral and took his mother out for drives to help her cope.
George also revealed that a dying friend inspired him to join Love Island. Freya Barlow, a fellow medical student with acute myeloid leukaemia, told him: 'Alex, you're so capable. I want you to throw yourself into things more. I can't continue my life so please live yours.' He said: 'I don't think she meant Love Island, but it was the thing that came into my mind.'
The author of five books, including his latest 'Happy Habits', George said he struggled at school with undiagnosed ADHD and rejection sensitivity dysphoria. After a teacher told his mother to 'lower our expectations of Alex in life', he became determined to prove them wrong, achieving straight As in his GCSEs.
