Strictly's Stefan Dennis bravely opens up on family tragedy which still 'affects him'

Strictly Come Dancing star Stefan Dennis has opened up about the devastating and lasting impact of losing a close family member. The Aussie soap legend is best recognised for his role in Neighbours as Paul Robinson, a character he has played since the show's first 1985 episode. His portrayal of the ruthless businessman has cemented his character as an icon. Dennis currently remains the last remaining star of Neighbours, who has been on the show since the very beginning.

However, despite his long career in the spotlight, he is still deeply affected by a family tragedy that happened in his childhood. Just days after making his glitzy BBC debut with Strictly's launch show, the actor made a heartbreaking admission about a death that still haunts him today. Dennis revealed that when he was just a child, his older brother John was killed by a drunk driver when he was just 12 years old.

He recently told The Guardian: "The repercussions of someone getting behind the wheel on drugs or drink, it's devastating to the people around them."

"This happened decades and decades ago, and it still affects me today. I'm more affected today than I was back then," the actor admitted.

Opening up further, Dennis told News Corp: "I just recently spoke to my mum about it [the death of John].

"Now that I have my own children, I have some concept of what she must have gone through. Lately, I have been thinking about John a lot."

The father of three also shared that he sees his late older brother in his 23-year-old son, Cameron.

The actor continued: "Because Cameron is so much like him, it makes me think about him. I wonder what he would've been like today."

Dennis also warned of the dangers of the road, and added: "Drinking, drugs, being distracted, answering the phone, incorrect mirror placement, tailgating, these are the big problems.

"The man who killed my brother was going just 30km/h. That's all it took."

The soap legend and his wife, actress Gail Easdale, tied the knot in 2000, and alongside Cameron, they also share another son, Declan, 20, and a daughter, Darci, 16.

This comes just days after the Strictly launch show, which revealed that Dennis had been paired with pregnant Dianne Buswell and they will dance the Foxtrot to the Neighbours theme tune.