Bermondsey-born reality TV star Joey Essex has taken viewers on a trip around SE16 in an emotional documentary about growing up without his mother.
In a recent Instagram post, Joey urged his followers to watch the re-run of ‘Grief and Me’, shown on January 22, and now available on BBC iPlayer.
In the documentary, Joey returns to the Bermondsey home where he grew up, as he opens up about losing his mum to suicide aged ten.
Joey explained: “Today I’m going back to my old house, back to Bermondsey.
“I lived in Bermondsey from when I was born until maybe seven or eight, then I moved to Chigwell.”
“All I can remember in Bermondsey is just smiling, being happy, no worries… it was just happy times. It just felt like everything was perfect,” he said.
In 2001, his mum Tina took her own life after battling depression, something which Joey says he had never come to terms with.
In the documentary, Joey speaks to a therapist and finally begins addressing his trauma by revisiting the home he shared with his mum.
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He told the camera: “We’d all just sit here like this. You can imagine the mum in the middle and us two sitting here.
“I just knew exactly how it would make me feel, it makes me feel this is the closest I’ve ever been to a feeling like that little boy again.”
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Joey moved from Bermondsey to Chigwell, Essex, after his mother’s death and left school with just a handful of GCSEs including a U in Drama a C in Art and a D in Wood Technology.
But a leading role in the reality tv show ‘The Only Way is Essex’ propelled him to stardom where viewers fell in love with his cheeky chappy attitude.
Despite his fame, Joey has never forgotten his roots and often drops hints about his connection with southeast London.
In April 2019, he posted a photo of his much-younger self wearing a designer t-shirt which was tagged in South Bermondsey.
“Wearing a designer T-shirt alongside the caption: “When I was just a South London kid reppin #moschino,” he wrote.
Love Island winner Jack Fincham commented “SE1” to which Joey replied “Ya Dunno Fam”, confirming he comes from south of the river.
He has also starred on ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’ and has most recently been figure skating on ‘Dancing on Ice’, where he has quickly cemented himself as a fan favourite.
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