Celebrity Traitors star King Kenny has revealed he looked after his three younger siblings while still a teenager.
The 29-year-old discussed his family responsibilities with his Celebrity Traitors co-star Amol Rajan on his podcast, The Amol Rajan Connection.
He recalled taking on their care after his mum was admitted to a mental health hospital.
He placed the events around early 2016, when he remembered being about 18 or 19. One sibling was close to his own age, while the other two were younger children.
He also said his mum and stepdad had separated, and his stepdad was not around. Kenny described the period as “traumatic” and said he struggled to recall parts of it.
He said: “This is going to be insane talking about it because have you heard of when you go through something so traumatic that your brain blocks out some of it so you kind of forget that period of time?”
Celebrity Traitors star King Kenny reflects on his mum’s efforts for the family
Kenny, who was a finalist on Celebrity Traitors, described himself as his mum’s carer and recalled how hard she had worked to support them.
He said she had worked two or three jobs while raising the family.
He remembered other pupils having branded trainers and clothes that his family could not always afford.
He told Amol: “My mum obviously did the best that she possibly could to raise us.”
He added: “But yeah, I don’t fault my mum for anything.”
King Kenny recalls the difficult decision to seek help
Kenny said he had noticed his mum’s behaviour changing and felt he needed to act. He said he had nobody to turn to for help.
He recalled: “I was very helpless at the time. I felt like I needed to do something about it.”
He found it hard to raise his concerns directly because, he said, she did not recognise she was unwell.
Instead, he sought professional help without telling her.
He described feeling torn between doing that and the loyalty he felt towards his mum.
Professionals came to assess her, but Kenny said she initially appeared fine when they visited. He recalled them later witnessing one of her episodes, after which she was sectioned.
Kenny said seeking help without her knowledge had left him feeling he was letting his mum down.
But he believed he needed to take that step so she could get better.
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