And, reflecting on his brother’s death, Spencer Matthews revealed he “never really processed” his death until “just now”, adding he assumed the “superhero” would return. The former Made In Chelsea star, 34, was 10 when Michael tragically died aged 22 – after becoming the youngest Briton to reach the summit in 1999. EXCLUSIVE: ‘I just assumed he’d come back’: Spencer Matthews admitted he ‘never really processed’ his late brother Michael’s death until ‘just now’ – after he died aged 22 while climbing Everest Speaking on his new podcast, Big Fish, which launched on Wednesday, he told Ant Middleton: “I never really processed Mike’s death until now. He died in 1999, you know, 23 years ago. And he was 22, the youngest Briton to reach the summit. And I was 10. “So for me, losing him wasn’t something I fully understood. Mike was the superhero figure in my life. I just assumed he’d be back, I didn’t think he’d been dead for a while. “And you know, as time went on, I realized I was never going to see him again. I always had this burning desire to find him. And obviously I understood from my teenage years how complicated that would be. “I’m not a particularly outwardly emotional person. I can’t remember the last time I cried. I’m a very black and white character who only deals with issues when faced with them. Family: The former Made In Chelsea star, 34, was 10 when Michael (left next to his brother James) tragically died aged 22 – after becoming the youngest Briton to reach the summit in 1999 “I became very close to people on that mountain and they came home, you know, one of the lads lost 20 pounds because he was there all the time, and he was different, you know, he came back and was affected by it. ‘ Spencer – who has children Theodore, four, Gigi, two, and Otto, six months, with wife Vogue Williams – continued: ‘Otto was five days old when I left for Everest for five weeks. I had nothing but support from Vogue. Vogue has been so consistent and so proud that we did. “And he feels very close to Michael who never met him, of course, and he was deeply moved emotionally by the whole thing.” Candid: Speaking on his new podcast, Big Fish, which launched on Wednesday, he told 9right’s Ant Middleton: “I never really processed Mike’s death until now.” Opening: He added: “And you know, as time went on, I realized I was never going to see him again. I’ve always had this burning desire to find him.” Earlier this year, it was reported that Spencer was in the early stages of making a documentary about his late brother Michael’s final days before he died while descending Mount Everest. The CleanCo founder was said to be “very passionate” about starting the journey, which will follow in the footsteps of his brother, who tragically died aged 22. Spencer reportedly had the support of his parents and brother James, 34, who is married to the Duchess of Cambridge’s sister Pippa Middleton, to create the “emotional” project, which will see Spencer visit his final resting place.
According to the Sun, Spencer intended to bring his brother’s body home and a source said: “Spencer’s documentary about Michael and his final days is in the very early stages and Disney+ has shown interest. Project: Earlier this year, it was reported that Spencer was in the early stages of making a documentary about his late brother Michael’s final days before he died “Although the Matthews family have never been able to recover Michael’s body, there is one driver who believes they know his final resting place. “It’s an extremely emotional project and it’s going to be a very upsetting journey for a lot of reasons, but Spencer is very passionate about starting it if he can make it work.” Experienced climber Michael, who had previously scaled Kilimanjaro, died in 1999 on an expedition which saw him become the youngest Briton to scale Everest. He was the 162nd person to die on Everest. Heartbroken: Speaking about his devastating loss, Spencer previously said: ‘His loss has been devastating for the family and over time it’s only gotten worse’ (Michael Matthews, 22, (L), with friend Jamie Everet front top of Everest) Although Michael reached the top of the world’s highest mountain, he got separated from his group during the journey up the mountain. Michael’s body was never found and the Matthews family could never fully understand what happened to him. Michael was an accomplished mountaineer who had scaled the Pyrenees, the Swiss Alps and Kilimanjaro before going on to attempt his fateful Everest trek, which cost around £22,000, using a climbing company. After leading the group, the rest of the climbing group claimed to have started to struggle near the end and on their descent, a storm with 100mph winds hit which led to Michael being separated from the group. David Matthews, the millionaire patriarch of the family, always swore that the negligence of the mountain guides was to blame for his death. He brought a private suit against three men who worked for the company amid allegations that safety briefings were inadequate, the oxygen supply was faulty and the guides failed to keep Michael in their sights during the climb. The case was dismissed as the judge insisted there was no evidence of negligence. Spencer and his family have since raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for The Michael Matthews Foundation, set up in Michael’s memory to support educational projects in Africa and Asia. Spencer most recently entered the Ice Ultra, which is a 230km self-supported foot race (carrying all food and gear) through the mountains of Arctic Sweden. Latest challenge: Spencer most recently entered the Ice Ultra, which is a self-supported 230km foot race (carrying all food and gear) through the mountains of Arctic Sweden Update: The media personality was forced to withdraw from the race due to a bout with Covid, however he was in 10th place at the time of withdrawal The media personality was forced to withdraw from the race due to contracting Covid, however he was ranked 10th at the time of withdrawal. In October he completed the grueling six-day Marathon Des Sables in Morocco. The former Made In Chelsea star ran the ultramarathon across the Sahara desert in memory of his late brother. The businessman ran the 251km race alongside his business partner David Folkman. The super fit couple were raising money for The Michael Matthews Foundation. Spencer described his brother as an “incredible force of nature” as he took to Instagram at the time to tell his followers about his upcoming adventure. He wrote: “Next week, along with @cleanco MD David Folkman, I’ll be racing the @marathondessables – a grueling 251km self-sustained ultramarathon in the Sahara desert. Race: Spencer recently completed the grueling Des Sables Marathon over six days in Morocco Partners in crime: The businessman ran the 251km race with his business partner David Folkman, 45 “In what is being called ‘the toughest race on earth’ we are raising funds for @michaelmatthewsfoundation – the charity set up in memory of my late brother who died while descending Everest in 1999. At the time, he was the youngest A Briton who had reached the top at the age of just 22. “My brother was an incredible force of nature and now I feel like I’m in the best place to do this challenge justice. while supporting an incredible charity that builds schools and provides safe accommodation for girls in remote areas of Africa and Asia. “Visit the GoFundMe link in my bio if you can support.” Challenge: “In what’s being called ‘the toughest road race on earth’ we’re raising funds for @michaelmatthewsfoundation,” Spencer wrote Adventurer: Michael Matthews was an accomplished mountaineer who had climbed the Pyrenees, Swiss Alps and Kilimanjaro before going on to attempt his fateful trek to Mount Everest In Spencer’s 2013 book Confessions of a Chelsea Boy: The Autobiography, he discussed the devastating loss of his brother.
Speaking about the family, including his other brother James, she said: “His loss has been devastating for the family and over time this has become worse because the circumstances surrounding Michael’s death have never been fully explained. “James took the news badly. Only a year and a half apart, he and Mike were the closest of friends. The loss was heartbreaking for James.’ Family: Spencer is married to model and TV star Vogue Williams. The couple is expecting their third child later this year Royal connections: Spencer’s older brother James is married to Pippa Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge’s younger sister (pictured with Michael, Carole and James Middleton) Of the unanswered questions surrounding the death, Spencer continued: “We didn’t get to say goodbye in person. We have nowhere to go and sit with him. “He lives with us only in our minds. On Mike’s birthday, James and I send Mom and Dad red roses for what age he would have been. I guess the way our family deals with losing Mike is to believe that he’s still with us.” In a 2001 Guardian article about the tragedy, Spencer and Michael’s father David explained how he initially trained with his son and colleague Jamie Everett for the Everest expedition. David was forced to abandon the climb after a practice climb on Aconcagua, where he discovered that his carotid surgery prevented him from climbing well at altitude.