Linda Robson broke down in tears on Loose Women on Friday as she revealed that her son Louis had cradled his dying friend Ben Kinsella on the night he was killed in a knife attack. Ben, brother of EastEnders actress Brooke Kinsella, was out celebrating the end of his GCSEs in London in 2008 when he tragically lost his life.
Linda opened up as she and the rest of the panel welcomed Brooke to the ITV show. "My son was out that night," said Linda, becoming visibly upset. "When it happened the boys all separated, and Louis came back, and he was holding him (Ben) when the ambulance got there."
Linda grew emotional talking about her son
Gesturing towards Brooke, she added: "Your life has never been the same again. Your family's life has never been the same again."
Ever since that fateful night, which found three men guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisoned for the death of Ben, actress Brooke has worked tirelessly to campaign for the prevention of knife crime, and in 2011 was awarded an MBE for her work.
"Ben was 16 and he had just finished his GCSEs," she said of the tragedy. "He went out to celebrate that night and quite simply didn't come home."
Linda revealed that she and husband Mark couldn't be away from Louis after the tragedy
Linda then opened up about Louis's trauma following the death of his friend, revealing that he suffered from panic attacks, shut himself indoors and had to have family with him at all times. She said: "Me or Mark had to be around him all the time and we couldn't go out, because he'd panic if we weren't around.
"The doctor said Louis needed to be locked up, sent away and put on medication for a month."
She revealed that they eventually received help using the Linden method, which teaches those suffering from anxiety and panic attacks how to manage the disorder. Linda continued: "I can't thank the Linden method enough. It taught Louis it's actually all in your mind and that so many people are going through the same thing."
