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'EastEnders' star Larry Lamb shares heartache over losing brother to cancer

Larry Lamb attends the Good Morning Britain 1 Million Minutes Awards at Television Centre in London. (Photo by James Warren / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)
Larry Lamb lost his brother to cancer. (James Warren / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)

Larry Lamb has told how losing his younger brother to cancer changed his life.

The EastEnders actor’s brother Wesley died in 2019.

The pair had grown apart over the years but reconnected and spent time together at Wesley’s hospice before he passed away.

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Speaking on This Morning about the impact of his sibling’s death, Larry said it taught him how valuable life is.

“Literally it changed my life and attitude to death and making amends and healing up those wounds that have festered for years,” he said.

The actor, 73, told hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford that he was “so grateful” that he got to spend time with Wesley at the hospice – where he slept next to his brother - as it was not something they had done since they were little.

Recalling one of their last exchanges, Larry said Wesley gestured at his mouth, indicating that he wanted a kiss.

“And so we kissed each other,” he said. “We kissed each other and I felt his hand go around the back of my head and my hand went around the back of his head and we were stroking each other like little monkeys, just like when we were boys but he was just over 70 and me over 70."

Larry Lamb and his son George at BUILD where the father and son duo talked about their new Channel 5 series, Britain By Bike, at AOL's Capper Street Studio in London.
Larry Lamb is known for starring in 'EastEnders'. (PA)

The star, who is known for playing Archie Mitchell in the BBC soap, was not there when Wesley passed away as he had gone to visit a close friend who was also dying at the time.

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Explaining that he was “trying to do the two things”, Larry said: “They (hospice staff) said, ‘Look, we're here with him' because it had gone on for five days longer than they expected, and they said, ‘Look we will hold the fort, we will keep in touch' and they said, 'You just head off and go south’.

“And as I went south I got the call and they said, ‘That's it, he's gone’.”

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