Joey Essex: Grief and Me air date – how to watch BBC documentary
The former TOWIE star discusses how the loss of his mother when he was a child has affected his life.
Joey Essex became famous a decade ago when he joined the hit TV series TOWIE, and in the years since he has become a popular reality star known for his luxurious lifestyle and cheeky attitude.
In the new BBC mental health documentary Grief and Me, Joey talks about a subject that is deeply personal to him – the loss of his mother when he was just 10 years old, and the effect that grief has had on his life ever since.
Until now, he has rarely spoken about his mother, but with the help of clinical psychologist Dr Stephen Blumenthal, in this documentary Joey sets out to finally face the impact his mother’s death has had on him.
Joey Essex: Grief and Me release date
The one hour documentary Joey Essex: Grief and Me will be on BBC One on Thursday 4th June at 9pm.
What is Joey Essex: Grief and Me about?
Every year, 41,000 young people lose a parent in the UK. Joey Essex was just 10 years old when his mother tragically took her own life, and in the 20 years since he has buried his grief, and even avoided having photos of her in his home.
He briefly discussed his childhood during his appearance on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins in 2020. “My mum committed suicide when I was 10, which was difficult,” he said in the show. “It hardened me up a little bit. I can’t explain it. It’s made me tougher inside.”
The reality star, who has been an ambassador for Child Bereavement UK since 2014, added: “I only sort of started being able to talk about it openly, saying the word mum three or four years ago. I know my mum loved me. But it has given me trust issues. One day she was there, one day she was gone.”
In the Grief and Me documentary, Joey sets out to finally face how his mother’s death has changed him, and how her loss has affected his relationships.
“I’ve had loads of relationships but I always end up pushing them away,” he says in the documentary. “Imagine if I was with someone and I had kids with them and I really did love that person and then she left me. I wouldn’t know what to do. I’m already thinking we’re going to break up before we’re together.”
In the documentary, both Joey’s sister Frankie and cousin Chloe recognise he has never dealt with his bereavement, and Joey realises that opening up to psychologist Dr Stephen Blumenthal is the first step in his journey to come to terms with his grief.
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Is there a trailer?
There isn’t a trailer as yet, but check back as we will update this page when one is available to watch.
Joey Essex: Grief and Me will be on BBC1 on Thursday 4thJune at 9pm. If you’re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide.
For help and support, you can contact the Samaritans for free on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.
