Spencer Matthews has said he "never really processed" his late brother Michael Matthews' tragic death until recently.
Michael is understood to have died in a mountaineering accident in 1999, shortly after becoming the youngest Briton to reach the summit of Mount Everest, at the age of 22.
His brother Spencer, now 34 - known for appearing on Made in Chelsea - spoke about Michael's passing on an episode of his podcast Big Fish to guest Ant Middleton, 42.
Spencer - who was just 10 when his brother died - said he "didn't believe" Michael was dead for a period and that he has only recently "processed" his late siblings' death.
Spencer said during the conversation about his late brother: "I never really processed Mike's death until just now. [...] Losing him was not something I fully understood."
The reality TV star continued: "Mike was my superhero figure in my life. I just assumed he'd come back." He added: "I didn't believe that he was dead for a period of time."
He explained during the recent episode of his podcast that as time passed he understood that he wouldn't see Michael - whose body has never been recovered - again.
Spencer - whose eldest brother is James Matthews, 47 - said that he "always" had a desire to find Michael, but he realised as a teenager "how complicated that would be".
He recently filmed a documentary about his late brother. Finding Michael, as it is currently titled, will see Spencer and others "go looking for him" as part of an expedition.
Discussing the project with Ant, podcast host Spencer said he became "very close" with people on the mountain and described it as "one of the greatest experiences" of his life.
Michael reached the summit of Mount Everest in 1999, but is said to have become separated from his group during the route down the mountain. His body was never recovered.
Following his death, the Michael Matthews Foundation was established. It manages donations from family, friends and supporters for education projects in Africa and Asia.
The upcoming documentary Finding Michael is due to be released by streaming platform Disney Plus. A release date for the feature length project has yet to be confirmed.
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