Martine McCutcheon’s brother dies aged 31

Martine McCutcheon’s brother has died suddenly at the age of 31 without a medical explanation.

The heartbroken TV star took to Instagram on Tuesday to reveal that her brother Laurence John – who had undisclosed special needs – died a month before she was set to get married.

Martine shared a photo of him and wrote: ‘My little brother, my gentle giant, unfortunately passed away suddenly 2 weeks ago. He was 31 years old.

“There is no medical explanation as to why we lost him so quickly and as we continue to investigate, we must accept that nothing will bring our boy back to us.

LJ (Laurence John) was born when I was 15 years old and from the moment I first held him in my arms I felt so proud and fiercely protective of him. He was such a character!

“He made us all laugh and loved nothing more than to make a plan, have a great playlist, bring people together and generally giggle.

‘My heart is broken forever’: Martine shared this long post alongside the photo of herself with her beloved brother

“He hated the thought of one party ending, so he was always on to the next one! LJ had mild special needs & was very smart with gadgets & loved his cars!’

She continued: “With unwavering love, support and devotion to himself, he grabbed life with both hands and broke every expectation we had of him. He would really blow us away sometimes!

“He had a huge heart and adored Rafferty. He gave me so much, he was my anchor, my radar of what really mattered in life and although he was always so proud of me and would tell the world I was his sister I always wanted to protect him from the limelight and the characters that could be drawn to him for all the wrong reasons.

Beloved: Martine was 15 when her brother was born

‘He traveled the world, he had parents, sisters, a brother and friends who couldn’t have loved him more! He can make you furious one minute and make you laugh the next with his dimples and floppy smile.

“LJ fell in love and was getting married next month… I was asked to be a bridesmaid and the last time I saw him was a few days before he died.

He, Jack and his future stepson had been to try on their wedding suits and then they came back to have dinner with his fiancé and the family to see our new home.

“He looked so tanned, tall and handsome. The best I’ve ever seen him… Ironic really…

“My heart aches for all who lost it. But my heart breaks for our mother, his father John and his stepparents.

‘You should never outlive your children. I’m afraid to live without you LJ but I know you want us to really live, laugh and love in your memory. I’ll try, I promise.’

Myleene Klass was one of the first to express her condolences to Martine.

She wrote; ‘Martin. My heart is all broken for you. I’m so very sorry.’

Claire Sweeney wrote, “Honey, I’m sorry to hear this.”

Martine already posted a birthday message to her brother on his 30th birthday last June.

She wrote at the time: ‘Happy 30th birthday to my little (big) brother LJ!

“I’m so proud of all you’ve accomplished and who you’ve become – against all odds. You came into my world when I was 15 and I adored you from the moment I first held you.

“You’ve struggled with your special needs at times and you’ve had your struggles, but you’ve always been determined to live a normal life, have a good job, fall in love and get married…

‘The things that are so obvious were your biggest dreams and now it’s all coming true for you! I am so happy for you! Enjoy your day with Jay and Happy Birthday Darling, on to your best year yet!’

I’m so sorry: a huge number of celebrities and followers took to the comments section to express their condolences