Married At First Sight’s Mikey Pembroke reveals the tragic death of his sister Kate – as he marks her birthday with a heartbreaking tribute
Married At First Sight’s Mikey Pembroke has opened up about the tragic death of his sister Kate.
The operations manager, 29, lost his younger sister when she was just 18 months old to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as cot death, and has spoken candidly about the tragedy, saying it brought his family closer together.
‘I was four and my brother, Tom, was about six when she passed away. It’s just one of those tragedies that had a big effect on the family,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘It makes you feel grateful’: Married At First Sight’s Mikey Pembroke (pictured) has opened up about the tragic death of his sister Kate
‘It puts things into perspective and makes you feel grateful. It was definitely tragic at the time but now it’s more about celebrating the little life she had,’ he said.
Kate’s death had come at a particularly difficult time for Mikey’s family.
‘My mum lost her father a few weeks after I was born, and my dad’s father died in the only plane crash in Australia never to be found, so there were a few deaths in such a short amount of time,’ he said.
‘What was nice was that my other baby sister, Caroline, was born one year later, which I think would of helped the family. We were young but my parents had to push from that.’
Tragic: The operations manager, 29, lost his younger sister when she was just 18 months old to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as cot death
Mikey also revealed he had his sister Kate’s initials tattooed on his right rib when he was going through a difficult time, and said it gives him strength.
‘I wanted to get her [initials tattooed] so when I am struggling I can look in the mirror and she’ll bring up the thoughts of “you can get through tough situations”,’ he said.
‘She definitely instills a lot of strength and courage in me and makes you think, “I can do this, you’re lucky enough to be here to make things work.” You can forget about the stuff that doesn’t matter and she puts your life straight back into perspective.’
Memory: Mikey had his sister Kate’s initials tattooed on his right rib when he was going through a difficult time
Kate would have celebrated her 28th birthday on Tuesday, and Mikey marked the occasion by sharing a photo of her to Instagram.
‘My baby sister Kate would have been 28 today… we have never posted a photo of her but during these weird times I thought it would be appropriate to recognise and celebrate her 28th birthday,’ he wrote.
‘If angels exist she definitely is one! I have her initials on me forever. Happy Birthday to you, darling girl.’
Family: Mikey’s brother Tom (left) also has his family’s initials, including Kate’s, tattooed on him