His parents were informed he had a one in 10 chance of survival (Picture: Jude Edginton/Channel 4)

Gogglebox star Tom Malone Jr looked incredibly emotional as he opened up about a terrifying ordeal his family went through when his younger brother was placed in an induced coma.

For almost a decade, fans of the Channel 4 series have adored watching the Malone family on their screens, including dad Tom Malone Sr, mum Julie Malone, son Shaun Malone and daughter Vanessa Malone.

Tom Jr also appeared on the programme until 2020, when he made the decision to quit the Friday night show.

In a new interview, the dancer shared how he coped when his younger brother Shaun was hospitalised as a teenager, when he became ‘seriously ill’.

Speaking to Zac Hancock on the Power of the Ordinary podcast, he explained that his ‘outlook on everything kind of changed when that happened’, when his sibling’s sinusitis became infected.

Outlining that it had initially begun as a cold, he detailed: ‘Instead of the infection coming forwards and out through his mucus and stuff, he must have had a tear or something in his membrane that separates your membrane from your brain cavity.

‘So it infected all of his brain fluid, his brain swelled up and pushed against the right side of his skull. So he was struggling, had no energy, couldn’t move his left side of his body really.’

Tom, who is slightly older than Shaun, helped get his brother in the car as his mum drove him to hospital.

Shaun had a seizure on the way to the hospital, and he was quickly placed in a drug-induced coma and underwent several brain surgeries.

His parents were informed that he had a one in 10 chance of survival, and a medical paper was even written about Shaun because of the rarity of his condition.

Tom continued: ‘They had to keep a part of his skull out so they could keep doing brain surgeries, he was covered in tubes.

Shaun still appears on Gogglebox with his parents, Tom Sr and Julie (Picture: Channel 4)

‘When he came out the coma he had to learn to walk again, because he was completely paralysed on his left hand side, he was epileptic, a bunch of stuff. His brain will always be scarred on the right side, so he’ll always have a slight left hand weakness.’

Tom looked almost close to tears as he expressed how much he looks up to his younger brother, describing him as ‘probably the most inspirational person in my life’.

‘He came out of that and now learnt to walk again, run again, got into football through Manchester United foundation. Through that got a lot of his mobility back, and now coaches other kids with disabilities through Manchester United Foundation.’

One of the most incredible anecdotes that Tom told was when he revealed one of the first things that Shaun said when he woke up from his coma.

‘One of the first things he said to my mum was he’s glad it happened to him and not me, because I wouldn’t be able to live without dancing,’ he said.

Daughter Vanessa also regularly appears on the show (Picture: Channel 4)

‘That’s my little brother,’ he added, looking as though he was trying to stop himself from crying.

Tom emphasised how much of a turning point Shaun’s hospitalisation was for the whole family, as it even prompted his parents to tell him: ‘Life’s short, go and do what you want to do.’

The former Gogglebox star also shared: ‘As much as going to the hospital and stuff was concerned, I didn’t really go as often as I probably should. But I was very much like, if the worst was to happen, I didn’t want to remember him like that. I think my outlook on everything kind of changed.’

Mum Julie previously shared that Shaun had to undergo surgery for six hours to remove a piece of bone from his skull because of the swelling in his brain.

Shaun also spoke about how his work as an adult working with children impacts his approach to life after his hospital ordeal, stating: ‘It makes me feel really good to be able to help young kids and I hope they look at me and realise that you can make something of yourself no matter what life brings.’

Gogglebox is available to watch on demand on Channel 4.

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His parents were informed he had a one in 10 chance of survival.