Mike Ross has been praised for opening up about his brother’s suicide on the Late Late Show.
The former Ireland prop was just 17-years-old when his younger brother Andrew, who was 16 at the time, took his own life at the family farm in Ballyhooley in 1997.
Recalling that tragic day, Mike explained that his brother didn’t want to go to school because he didn’t have his homework done.
Mike and his four other siblings missed the school bus, so their mother dropped them to school in Fermoy while Andrew stayed at home.
The sports star explained: “My mum got home and he found while he was gone Andrew had shot himself.”
“The first thing we knew about it was when the priest called us all into a room and said we had to go home, there had been a terrible accident. I remember trying to get out of the priest ‘what kind of accident are you talking about?’ and eventually they told us.”
Just three months ago, Mike’s mother told him that Andrew had actually left a note, which she had found down the back of a wardrobe.
“I read it and I was just shaking my head reading it. He thought he was ugly, he thought he was stupid. It’s just that teenage impulse thing,” Mike said.
“I remember reading about some kid going to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge. He said as he jumped off the railings he had a moment of clarity wishing he could take it back. I think it was just an impulse [for Andrew] and he couldn’t take it back.”
After Mike’s interview aired last night, many took to Twitter to praise him for sharing his family’s story.
Mike Ross, absolute gent and spoke brilliantly #LateLateShow
— Mark Gordon (@thegord001) September 28, 2018
Remarkable that Mike Ross has achieved so many great things after experiencing such personal tragedy #LateLateShow
— CÃara (@Ciaramazeballs) September 28, 2018
@MikeRoss03 A truly brilliant interview, tragic, poignant and inspirational at the same time. Well done sir ???????????????? #LateLateShow
— Mike Connolly (@mike32pepper) September 28, 2018
