Gogglebox star breaks down as he recalls younger brother’s health scare

21 December 2023 , 23:02

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Gogglebox star gets emotional as he recalls younger brother’s terrifying health scare

Gogglebox star Tom Malone Jnr has got teary eyed as he recalled the terrifying time when his younger brother was put into a medically induced coma.

Tom, who sits with the rest of the Malone family from Manchester for the Channel 4 TV show, was a Gogglebox regular until three years ago when he quit the programme. Now he's opened up about the time his brother Shaun became 'seriously ill' and was hospitalised.

Tom, who is a street dancer and performer, revealed in a podcast interview that his 'outlook on everything changed' after seeing his sibling in a hospital bed.

Gogglebox star Tom Malone Jnr got teary eyed during the Power of the Ordinary podcast interview (YouTube)

Speaking to Zac Hancock on the Power of the Ordinary podcast, Tom described how his younger brother had sinusitis which quickly worsened and forced the teenager to be hospitalised. He explained: "Instead of the infection coming forwards and out through his mucus and stuff, he must have had a tear or something in his membrane that separates your membrane from your brain cavity.

"So it infected all of his brain fluid, his brain swelled up and pushed against the right side of his skull. So he was struggling, had no energy, couldn’t move his left side of his body really."

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Tom then detailed how he helped his mum get Shaun into a car to drive to hospital, with the short journey turning into a medical emergency as his younger brother had a seizure in the car. Once at hospital, doctors put Shaun into a medically induced coma whilst delivering the daunting news that he had only a one in 10 chance of survival.

He praised his younger brother as he described him as 'probably the most inspirational person in my life' (YouTube)

Tom continued: "They had to keep a part of his skull out so they could keep doing brain surgeries, he was covered in tubes. When he came out the coma he had to learn to walk again, because he was completely paralysed on his left hand side, he was epileptic, a bunch of stuff. His brain will always be scarred on the right side, so he’ll always have a slight left hand weakness."

Getting emotional, Tom then described how he admires his younger sibling as he praised him as 'probably the most inspirational person in my life'. He then showed the strength of their brotherly bond as he revealed Shaun's first words after he came round from his coma were about his older brother as Tom recalled: "One of the first things he said to my mum was he’s glad it happened to him and not me, because I wouldn’t be able to live without dancing. That’s my little brother."

Malones are one of the Gogglebox families on the Channel 4 TV show

Tom also revealed that Shaun has recovered and is now living his life as he shared: "He came out of that and now learnt to walk again, run again, got into football through Manchester United foundation. Through that got a lot of his mobility back, and now coaches other kids with disabilities through Manchester United Foundation."

The former Gogglebox star rarely talks about his brother's health scare but confessed: "As much as going to the hospital and stuff was concerned, I didn’t really go as often as I probably should. But I was very much like, if the worst was to happen, I didn’t want to remember him like that. I think my outlook on everything kind of changed."

Niamh Spence