Jedward have hailed their late mother as an "inspiration" and say she was "still fighting" up until the moment she died.
Identical twins John and Edward Grimes – who found fame as pop duo Jedward on the sixth series of UK TV talent show ‘The X Factor’ in 2009 – were left grief-stricken after their mum Susanna died from leukaemia in February but they insist she "never lost herself" and was the woman they loved right up until the end.
Speaking on ‘Loose Women’, Edward said: "She was such an inspiration to me and up to the point of her passing – she was still fighting."
John added: "She never lost who she was. It would have been hard to go on and see her lose herself, but she never lost herself as a person."
The 27-year-old singers explained that although they’re finding it difficult to deal with their loss, having each other has helped them deal with their grief and not bottle up their feelings.
Edward said: "It’s been ongoing for the past five years, and I feel now mum has passed, it just feels so weird because it’s all we’ve ever known. You think you want to call her and there’s no one there to call.
John added: "That has been really, really good for me and Edward because we’re so open with each other, and we weren’t bottling it in."
Edward went on: "We haven’t talked to anyone about it. It’s kind of very closed doors.
"It’s not just us mourning, it’s our fans and everyone is feeling for us. It’s hard because we never publicly talked about the struggles, or our mum’s illness. She didn’t want to show weakness."
John then said: "She was always very private. Mum was such an inspiration to me as well, and even when I think about her just up to the point of passing, she was still fighting."
Jedward – who also have an older brother named Kevin – have returned to touring and will release a new album later this year in honour of their mother who had always supported their pop dreams.