Although best known for his blindingly white teeth, bumbling persona, and more recently, his hilarious antics in the Aussie jungle, at the age of just 10, Joey Essex came home to find his father on his knees telling him “Mummy’s gone”.
In that instant, Joey’s world was ripped apart. His mother had tragically taken her own life.
A tremendously moving portrait of a man coming of age and accepting his past, Joey Essex: Grief and Me premieres Monday, 10 January at 9pm, straight after I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!.
Joey first rose to fame on The Only Way Is Essex, at the age of 20, where he was catnip for the camera because he was cheeky and sweet and ridiculous.
After ten years in the reality TV spotlight, it might appear that everything in Joey Essex’s life is ‘reem’. But fame and a luxury lifestyle haven’t been able to heal the grief he has kept inside for 20 years.
Unable to comprehend his mother’s suicide, Joey rarely spoke about his mother, avoided having pictures of her in his home and has since suffered from an ongoing fear of abandonment. Recruiting the help of psychologist Stephen Blumenthal to confront his grief, the pair examine Essex’s anxiety, and look at ways to integrate his past into his current life.
Joey is currently on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! vying for the chance to win $100,000 for his chosen charity, Feel the Magic, an Australian not for profit organisation whose purpose is to create a world where children who are experiencing grief are supported to reach their full potential.
Joey Essex: Grief And Me – Monday, 10 January At 9pm. Only On 10 And 10 Play On Demand.
Note: Due to an ongoing dispute regarding editorial independence, the 10 Network and its parent company ViacomCBS declined to provide assistance with the preparation of this content.
