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Love Island's Simba says 'I'm proud' as he supports mum during tough health battle

The Love Island star has opened up about caring for his mum after she was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease

[Simba Kudyiwa ]

Simba Kudyiwa appeared in the latest season of Love Island(Image: ITV)

Love Island star Simba Kudyiwa has confessed he didn't fully comprehend his mother's health struggle as a youngster, though he certainly noticed shifts in her behaviour.

The North London native featured on the dating programme this summer, securing third place alongside NHS nurse Angelista Gunda. He has recently disclosed that his mum suffers from Motor Neurone Disease (MND), and he has been her carer since the age of 10.

According to the NHS, MND triggers muscle weakness that deteriorates progressively and can result in difficulties with swallowing, breathing and speaking. No cure currently exists for the condition, though treatment can assist in managing symptoms.

Simba, 25, has opened up about the initial stages of his mum's fight against MND, acknowledging he originally failed to comprehend the "gravity of the situation".

[Simba Kudyiwa]

Simba Kudyiwa appeared in the latest season of Love Island(Image: ITV)

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, he disclosed that his parents attempted to protect their children from the reality, reports OK!.

When questioned whether he understood what MND was upon learning of her diagnosis, he said: "Looking back no, I didn't, in terms of actually understanding the gravity of the situation.

"I feel like my parents did their best in terms of wanting to protect me and my younger brother aswell, he was probably only about six years old at the time."

While they didn't completely understand what was occurring with their mum, Simba and his younger sibling "definitely picked up on a few things".

[Simba Kudyiwa]

Simba didn't fully understand his mum's illness but he saw changes in her day-to-day life(Image: ITV )

He continued to describe a pivotal moment when his parent began to display signs she was losing strength in her hands.

Simba added: "There's definitely a memory, I think I was probably about 11 years old. She started to lose strength in her hands, I think she would say that probably, in terms of her upper limbs, that's where the disease started to affect her quite significantly to begin with.

"She parked up and she was struggling to put the handbrake up and I remember she called me to the front [seat] and she was like 'I need you to lift up the handbrake.' So I think little things like that started to make me question a little bit, like 'Okay, what's going on with mum right now?'"

The ITV personality revealed that she also began working less frequently and ceased collecting her children from school. He acknowledged that his family's existence was "changed" due to the deteriorating MND symptoms.

[Angelista and Simba on Love Island]

Simba and Angelista came in third place(Image: ITV)

Despite shouldering the "massive responsibility" of caring for his mother and watching over his younger sibling, Simba reckons the experience shaped him into the person he is today.

He said: "Looking back, I'm definitely proud of myself. I feel like it's made me the man that I am now. It's given me so many skills, so many credentials."

His mum can no longer speak verbally, so she relies on eye gaze technology to communicate with her family.

She can construct sentences using her eyes via a keyboard linked to a mounted tablet, which also enables her to keep in contact through apps like WhatsApp.

Love Island Season 13 is streaming on ITVX

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