It's been just over a month since Lil Chris died unexpectedly in his home at the age of 24. In the first TV interview given by a member of his family, the singer's sister Hannah Hardman has spoken about how she and her relatives have reacted to their loss.
"It's been tough ever since it actually happened," said Hannah, during an appearance on This Morning. "You can never prepare yourself for losing anyone, and I guess it makes it harder when it's someone that wasn't just loved by us but seemed to be loved by a lot of people."
Lil Chris, whose real name was Chris Hardman, was most famous for starring in Rock School as a teenager, and for releasing his debut single Checkin' It Out.
© Photo: Getty ImagesLil Chris' sister Hannah said of her brother: "He was never anybody else, he was always just Chris"
Describing what kind of a brother Chris was, Hannah said: "He was the most amazing type you could ever have. He was the person that everybody saw, he was never anybody else, he was always just Chris.
"He was kind and generous, and he always thought of everyone else before him – that was his main thing. He was not only my brother but one of my best friends. He was such a charismatic person all the time."
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe singer was always open about his struggle with depression to his family and his fans
Hannah also revealed that Chris had always been open about his struggle with depression – and that he didn't want mental health to be a taboo subject. The TV personality had even made comments on Twitter, writing that depression "sucks".
"I think ever since he became an adolescent, from a teenager to a young adult, that's when the struggles started and he was always very open about it, which was a positive thing," said the late star's sister.
© Photo: Getty ImagesLil Chris wanted to "educate people because there is such a stigma about mental health", said Hannah
"We've always grown up in a close family," added Hannah. "He didn't need to say anything, you could just see it. He was never worried about talking about it. He wanted to educate people because there is such a stigma and taboo about mental health, and I think that needs to stop.
"He wanted everyone to be educated that having a mental health disorder was the same as say, having cancer, or having a broken leg… just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not there."
Lil Chris died on 23 March, and about a week later, his family released a statement in which they called their loved one "the sunshine on a rainy day".
