Spencer Matthews worries his brother’s body is a ‘tourist attraction’ on Mount Everest
Spencer Matthews has opened up about why he's heading to Nepal to recover his brother's body from Mount Everest.
Michael Matthews became the youngest British person to climb the infamous peak in 1999 when he was just 22 years old.
However, Michael died during his descent and his body has remained on Everest ever since.
The Made in Chelsea star is now embarking on an emotional mission to find his older brother.
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He said it's been a weird concept knowing Michael was sitting somewhere on Everest where people might see him during their ascent or descent.
Speaking to The Travel Diaries podcast, Spencer said (via the Metro): "I always believed that I’d see him again and never took it on the chin that he was dead.
"It never crushed me in the way it affected my parents and my brother."
He added: "I’ve always been uncomfortable with the idea of him being up there and possibly in plain sight…like some kind of tourist attraction and on his own and away from us.
"His last thoughts were probably that he was never going to see his family again. We had a memorial service but were of course never able to see his body."
Spencer suggests Matthew's death never really sunk in and he thought it was 'impossible' that something so tragic had happened to his brother.
However, he's hoping an expedition to Mount Everest will finally end this decades-long problem.
He's doing a documentary titled Finding Michael, which will retrace Michael's final moments to see if they can find and retrieve his body.
Spencer is well aware of the complications surrounding this arduous mission.
"It was important for me to get my head around the fact I might come face to face with my brother’s frozen body," he said.
"I knew it was going to be a gut-wrenching and emotional journey."
Bear Grylls was part of the expedition.
The famous survivalist held the record for the youngest person to climb Everest before Michael ended up beating his record.
During a talk at the Oxford Union Society, Grylls explained he took to Mount Everest alongside a group to try and find 'the body of the brother of a good friend'.
He recently reflected: "It is the reality of high-altitude mountaineering, as people pay the ultimate price up there."
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677
Stewart Perrie