The Dead Sibling Society

In our fifth episode of Season Two, we sit down with Dr Emily Cooper.  Emily is a senior lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire, and a mum of four beautiful children. Emily lost her son, Alexander in 2021, and her daughter Isabelle, in 2024, both to a rare genetic condition. Emily speaks to us about her experience of losing both Alexander and Isabelle, the complexity of navigating grief...

In our fourth episode of Season Two, we sit down with Zara Muse. After Zara’s Mum, Janet, died in 2019, Zara turned to painting to help with her grief, and has since developed an incredible career, using only a palette knife to create her beautiful portraits.  Zara speaks to us about her own experiences of grief, and why she believes it needs to be spoken about with more honesty, humour, and human...

In our third episode of Season Two, we sit down with Amber Jeffrey - whose mum, Sue, died suddenly from a heart attack when Amber was just 19. Amber talks to us about that moment, the shock of grief and being so young, and what it’s like trying to keep going when the person who anchored your life is suddenly gone. She shares how those first few years shaped her, and the long, uneven process of fig...

In our second episode of Season Two, we sit down with Kay Backhouse - whose younger brother, Syd, died in 2019 at age 35 after being diagnosed with a rare neuroendocrine tumour. Kay talks to us about growing up with him: the mischief, the chaos, and the kind of closeness that comes from having a little brother five years younger. She shares what those final years were like, the ways she spoke hone...

In the first episode of Season Two, we talk with Chanel Williams - whose brother, James Williams, known to many as The Vivienne died in January of this year after taking Ketamine.  Chanel shares what it was like growing up with James: the teasing, the in-jokes, and how the same brother who drove her mad as a teenager became her best friend and an uncle her kids adored. She speaks about the day he...

In the final episode of series one, Gracie and Callum reflect on how their own experiences - Callum was just 12 when his brother Liam died and Gracie's older sister Laura died last year - and discuss how their own grief has changed them.  We know that everyone's experience of grief is very different. But does grief make you seek attention and is attention-seeking always a bad thing? Get in touch v...

This week Callum and Gracie are getting some of their - and your - big questions answered by Rufus Harrington, BABCP, Consultant in Cognitive Behavioural Psychology. Rufus is just the man to tackle some of the trickiest topics thrown up by this podcast and by any journey through grief like survivors' guilt, how to find your place in a grieving family and why we all need to face it, feel it and fil...

In this episode of the Dead Sibling Society, Gracie and Callum are joined by Gracie's mum Nicola, who tells us all about her daughter Laura and her book ' The Stars Will Still Be There ' - a raw but beautifully written account of how Nicola helped her daughter make the most of her remaining time, while dealing with her own pain along with that of Gracie and husband, Mark. Get your tissues at the r...

In this episode of the Dead Sibling Society, Gracie and Callum are joined by Amanda Prowse, who is a multi-million bestselling author who has published more than thirty novels and is one of the most prolific writers of contemporary fiction in the UK today. In 2022, Amanda lost her brother Simon. With a few tears, but lots of laughter Amanda talks to Gracie and Callum about the impact that devastat...

In this episode of the Dead Sibling Society, Gracie and Callum are joined by Sarah Brown, chair of global children's charity Theirworld and wife of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Gordon and Sarah lost their daughter Jennifer when she was just ten days old in 2002. In a revealing, emotional interview, Sarah tells the pod about her links to Callum and his brother, Liam, and how they cop...

Joining Callum and Gracie for episode 3 is podcaster, adventurer, TV presenter and (whisper it) former Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews, who knows all about sibling loss. Spencer was just ten years old when his brother Michael became the youngest Briton to reach the summit of Everest at the age of 22 in 1999. However hours later he vanished, never to be seen again. Michael disappeared 8,000m...

Episode two is all about our Callum as we get to know podcast co-host Callum Fairhurst, whose brother Liam died at the age of 14 in 2009. Callum explains why his brother was his hero, his best mate and why he feels like he wants to live his life for Liam. Callum was just 12 when his brother died but he went on to become the founder of Sibling Support. You can check out the work of Sibling Support...

Episode one is all about Gracie as we get to know podcast co-host Gracie Nuttall, whose sister, Laura, died in May 2023. Gracie tells Callum all about her relationship with her big sister, how she coped with watching Laura's cancer progress, and how she and her family said goodbye. Laura shot to fame after her diagnosis with her famous 'bucket list' which saw her meet Michelle Obama, command a Roy...