‘I HOPE I CAN HELP OTHERS SHARE THEIR GRIEF'

Loose Women’s Brenda Edwards tells Woman’s Own about how she’s been coping in the face of such tragedy

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As one of ITV’s Loose Women panellists and a former X Factor contestant, Brenda Edwards is known to millions

for her positivity and charm. But in February 2022, her world fell apart when her son Jamal, 31, tragically died at the family home following a cardiac arrest. Soon after, Brenda issued a statement on social media to say that Jamal had died due to cardiac arrhythmia caused by having taken recreational drugs.

Losing a child is every parent’s worst nightmare and Brenda says, ‘I don’t want anyone else to feel the pain I’ve felt, that I still feel and will no doubt continue to feel.’

Sadly, Brenda, 53, is no stranger to adversity having lost both her parents at the age of four. She was raised by her grandmother and aunts, and then in 2015, she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer which led to her undergoing chemotherapy and a mastectomy.

‘I’m hoping that by talking openly about my pain, I can help others to share their grief and hurting,’ she tells Woman’s Own. ‘Half the battle is being able to speak about what you’re going through. I’m never going to get over losing my son, I’m never going to forget it, but I’m trying to deal with it. Jamal was always helping others, that’s what he was about. He was never interested in helping himself.’

A SPECIAL BOND