Eddie Izzard fought back tears as she talked about how she and her brother coped with the death of their mother.

The star – who announced in 2020 she wanted “to be based in girl mode from now on” – opened up in an emotional chat on ITV’s Loose Women on Tuesday (September 9).

She lost her mum when she was just a child and admitted that in the wake of the loss she was “clinging” to her older brother but that “he was clinging on to no one”.

The topic came up after Eddie, 63, was asked about working with her sibling.

“My older brother, Mark, we get on, we work together and sometimes we argue,” she said. “We’re 50% exactly the same, 50% different. But when mum died, when I was six and he was seven, we went to boarding schools.

Eddie Izzard

Eddie Izzard on Loose Women (Image: ITV screengrab)

“It was decided between mum and dad, that was the way forward. And so Mark had to take all that pressure.”

Eddie, who was on the programme talking about her solo stage production of Hamlet, went on: “I was clinging on to him, he was clinging on to no one.”

Becoming tearful, the star said: “And it was, it was, sorry, it was not easy. It was not. I thought it was not easy for me. I realised it was really hard for him.”

Eddie Izzard

The star said she clung to her brother when their mum died (Image: ITV screengrab)

She went on: “And I will go through a brick wall. I kind of like, and Mark is more sensitive and brick walls were harder for him.

“And I just, so I think he, I just, you know, grabbed hold of him.”

As the interview came to an end, Loose Women’s Charlene White thanked the screen star for opening up about her relationship with her brother.

“It’s been an absolute joy as always to have you on the show,” she said to Eddie.

“And thank you for the beautiful things that you said about your brother. I think we all feel very strongly about our siblings so thank you for sharing that with us.”