Gabby Logan reveals moving to London was the start of a damaging party lifestyle

Gabby Logan has revealed she suffered from suicidal thoughts after the sudden death of her brother.

The sports presenter’s younger brother, Daniel Yorath, collapsed and died of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in May 1992, when he was 15 and she was 19.

Reflecting on her grief as she wrote about the tragedy in her new memoir, The First Half, Gabby, 49, confessed she asked the chemist if she could ‘take something that would make it all go away’.

Speaking about the writing process, she added to the Radio Times: “I thought, ‘I don’t know, I have the guts to keep doing this.’

Gabby has previously spoken of the long-term “cataclysmic” impact of her brother’s sudden death.

She said her family was “shattered into a million pieces” after Daniel rolled over and died while playing football with their father.

She said the traumatic incident “defined her youth” and affected how her family lived the rest of her life.

Speaking on The Game Changers podcast in 2020, she said: ‘He died of a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which is actually sudden death.

“We had no warning. He had a congenital heart defect, which meant that on the outside and ostensibly, his physical condition was just beyond, you know. He was in the top 0.00 percent.

She said even now, nearly 28 years later, she and her family are still coming to terms with the “ramifications” of Daniel’s tragic death.

Gabby continued: “Even if someone dies suddenly at 78 they feel young, but they are 78 when a child dies so young, obviously there is such a fallout on the whole family.”

“It defined the rest of our youth and defined how the family has gone on for those years and it leaves its mark in so many ways.

“It was a really tough time for everyone and to this day the ramifications are still there.”

Elsewhere in her chat with Radio Times, Gabby also opened up about moving to London at the height of her TV career and how it caused her to “self-destruct”.

She rose to fame when she first appeared on television in 1996 after being chased by Sky Sports.

She told the publication, “There was a bit of self-destruction. I was not abusing drugs [and] I wasn’t afraid of becoming an alcoholic, but I didn’t treat myself very well. I was not in positive relationships.

Gabby explained that if she hadn’t pursued therapy, she wouldn’t be married to her husband today.

She married her husband Kenny Logan in 2001 and is the mother of twins, son Reuben McKerrow Logan and daughter Lois Maya Logan.

The star said: ‘I don’t think I would be married. I would not have allowed myself to be in a nurturing relationship.

Speaking about the drinking problems of her father, former Welsh professional footballer Terry Yorath, she said: “It really shifts your own sense of worth. I felt for a long time, especially in my twenties, like I wasn’t lovable enough. It’s important to reach a point where you realize it has nothing to do with you.

You can read the full interview on Radio Times.

If you have been touched by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org