June Sarpong today broke down on live television as she opened up about her 'kind' brother who died last year after falling from a bridge.
Sam, a Tommy Hilfiger model famed for hosting on MTV, jumped from the bridge in Los Angeles in October after family and police spent seven hours trying to talk him down.
Today, Ms Sarpong appeared on Loose Women where she publicly paid tribute to her brother for the first time.
But the emotion was clearly too much for Ms Sarpong. Revealing how 2015 was the worst year of her family's lives, she broke down in tears, adding: 'The pain doesn't go away'.
The former T4 presenter said: 'It’s horrible, I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. It’s been such a tough time for my family and I. 2015 was the worst year of our lives - nobody could ever have predicted this.
'I have experienced emotions which I did not even know were humanely possible.'
Sam, 40, who co-hosted Yo Momma, lived in Pasadena, California where he appeared in shows for top designers such as Gucci and Versace.
Ms Sarpong, who was awarded an OBE, said he appeared to have a happy life and there were no signs the tragedy was about to unfold.
'We were shell shocked because there were no signs. There was nothing that could lead anybody to believe that this was even possible,' she said.
'He wasn’t on medication, he doesn't even drink. All we know that on the day it happened, something just took over his mind.
'So the Sammy that we knew was not that boy on the bridge, the person that jumped off the bridge was not the man that we had loved for over 40 years.
'It was a moment of madness, Something just went off and he lost complete control over his mind.'
Breaking down, she then described how her brother was her 'best friend'.
After his death, friends described him as being 'the life of the party', someone who loved life and would face every day with 'a smile on his face.'
'He was such a kind human being who just loved people and who treated everybody the same and was the life and soul of the party and whenever you had a problem he was the guy you turn to,' she told fellow panellists.
'The thing that really sort of brought it home to us, just how loved he was, was at his memorial, over 2000 people turned up to celebrate his life.'
Making an emotional plea, she added: 'For anybody even considering it, even having those thoughts, I beg you on behalf of the people you love, on behalf of your family, your family, the teacher whose favourite student you were, don’t do it.
I have experienced emotions which I did not even know were humanely possible
June Sarpong
'Because that pain doesn’t go, that pain gets dumped on the people you love. Whereas if you seek help you can get over it and as long as you’re alive there’s always hope.'
Ms Sarpong said she has coped by turning to her Christian faith 'to know that there's just something to get us through'.
But she added that she is concerned about the 'epidemic' of male suicide. 'This is the number one killer of men under 35 and there’s such a stigma attached to it,' she said.
'We live in a society where men aren’t allowed to express their feelings, so if you are an alpha male the way that my brother was or the one that everybody relies on, you don't feel confident enough to be weak.
'And the problem with suicidal thoughts is it’s temporary. If you tell somebody there can be an intervention.'
Sam Sarpong moved to Los Angeles when he was 11 where he became a promising high school basketball star.
When his ambitions of playing professionally fizzled out, he turned to acting and modelling and he became the face of Tommy Hilfiger for six years.
He also launched his own clothing line Future Stars, influenced by both British and Californian styles which reflect his dual citizen upbringing.
He also made fashion history by becoming the first black male model to do a Louis Vuitton editorial campaign.
Sam later branched out into acting where he secured roles in television shows such as Veronica Mars and Bones.
Sam later branched out into acting where he secured roles in television shows such as Veronica Mars and Bones.
The supermodel and musician has appeared in more than 60 feature films such as Love Don't Cost a Thing and No Weapons, for which he won best lead actor at the San Diego Film Festival.
He also had numerous television roles including Everybody Hates Chris, Cold Case, and a small upcoming role as a neighbor in FX's American Crime Story.
But while his success grew, Sam remained humble.
'I've never understood when people start believing their own hype,' he told Brits Across the Pond.
'I've been at different levels when you're not working and nobody will call you back and your friends aren't around because you aren't going to the cool parties.
'Then there's times when you're on a hot show, your billboard is everywhere and everyone's feeling you, so when things are good I really enjoy it but I never get caught up in it.'
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