AN EMOTIONAL Mark Wright today said it's been a year he "wanted to forget" after his uncle died from Covid.
The ex-Towie star, 34, sadly lost his uncle Eddie after five of his loved ones ended up in hospital with the deadly virus over Christmas.
Now Mark has said he wants to continue to make Eddie "proud".
Speaking to Susanna Reid and Adil Ray live on Good Morning Britain, he said: "I think it’s been a terribly hard time for so many people.
"It hasn't been so hard for me as it has for others. But it’s been extremely hard. It’s been a year I will never, but would like to, forget because it has hit my family pretty hard.
"We live and we move on and we had an amazing send off to my uncle last week. For now I want to look forward and just remember how special he was in my life and keep doing the things I do to make him proud.
"He was so proud of everything I do. Out of everyone in my family, he knew every time I was on GMB.
"This early he’d literally text me, just watched it. He knew. I'm not going to dwell on it, I've spoken about it loads in the past. I loved my uncle to bits and I will always will remember him.
"He genuinely loved to read and I have my new book coming out May 27. It's all about fitness - I've gone into the world of fitness and I'm helping people get fit. It’s such a rewarding feeling."
The Wright family was left shaken after Mark's mum, dad, uncle, nan and grandad all contracted the virus.
Devastated Mark told The Sun earlier this month how his 65-year-old uncle was at the heart of the Wright family.
Most read in News TV
Speaking about his relatives fighting the virus, he said: "I could have lost them all.
“I’m struggling to cope with this. In December and January I was at a point with a grandma, grandpa, mum, dad and uncle — when I could have lost them all.
“Covid tore my family apart and it’s not going to be the same again.”