Strictly's Greg Wise addresses family heartbreak as he admits 'it nearly killed me'
Former Strictly Come Dancing star Greg Wise confessed "It nearly killed me" as he shared his family heartbreak.
The 59 year old actor, who competed in the 2021 series of Strictly alongside professional partner Karen Hauer, appeared on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday (July 22) to discuss the shortage of paid respite care.
Greg spoke to presenters Kate Garraway and Ed Balls about looking after his sister, Clare, who died in 2016 at the age of 51.
Clare was originally diagnosed with breast cancer, which subsequently returned as bone cancer.
"I was a 24/7 carer for my sister, Clare, who was dying from bone cancer. I did it for three months, it nearly killed me," Greg frankly told GMB, reports Edinburgh Live.
"It's extraordinary, isn't it? We know the truth is you're either going to be cared for or be a carer, everyone is at some point in their life, and actually, it's only when you're in it that the reality hits you," Kate then said, reflecting on her own experiences of caring for her late husband, Derek Draper.
Greg went on: "A lot of studies have been done on carers. Carers start to mirror the people they've been caring for, it's called compassion fatigue or carer's fatigue.
"And of course, it's understandable, you become anxious, you become isolated, you are fearful, you can become depressed, you can start self-medicating."
The actor then revealed that he "got into a bit of a problem" with drinking, but managed to "get off it". Greg emphasised the crucial role of carers in society, stating that if every British caregiver decided they couldn't continue, it would cost taxpayers tens of billions of pounds.
"You find yourself in a place where you're so completely alone and unsupported. I was fantastically fortunate that I was able to drop my life for a finite period of time and go and help my sister die," he expressed.
"One in ten of us in this country is a carer, we have over six million carers here unpaid."
Greg concluded: "The unpaid carers are saving the public purse the entire NHS budget, and what we're asking for is for the most vulnerable of this six million to be helped."
His comments come as hundreds of carers are marching to Westminster to protest the lack of paid respite care available to them.
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