Brendan O'Carroll opens up about famous sister Eilish's health battle
Brendan O'Carroll has revealed his famous sister Eilish O'Carroll is "getting treatment" for a mystery illness.
The Mrs Brown's Boys creator made the announcement about his older sister – best known for playing Winnie McGoogan on the hit BBC series - while talking to Joe Duffy on RTE's Liveline ahead of his final show on Friday.
Speaking on Liveline, presenter Joe asked how Winnie was to which Brendan replied: "She's in great form.
"Eilish is getting treatment at the moment and she's going through the hard bit but she's doing extremely well.
"Again, tough as nails. Tough as nails," he said of her health battle.
Eilish has been contacted for comment, while a rep for Mrs Brown's Boys said: "No further comment on this".
Last October, Eilish told us that her baby brother Brendan gave her a better quality of life when she started working for him in 1998.
The Dubliner began working for the Mrs Brown's Boys creator in 1998 as his wardrobe mistress, while Brendan was performing with his play, The Course.
Then in 1999, Brendan asked Eilish to stand in for someone to play Winnie McCoogan on the comedy show after the original cast member had to take leave for a while.
Eilish opened up about how Brendan changed her life for the better but told of his own struggles in the industry. She said: "It was well before the BBC took an interest in Mrs Brown's Boys as a sitcom.
"The talent was always there. I think we're a very small pond compared to the UK so over here you have to be a big fish in a small pond but in the UK you can actually be a little fish and make it big.
"Irish entertainers do so well in England and Mrs Brown's Boys is no different. It went viral when it first went out. I think when his first play was so successful, which was The Course, people came to the theatre. I think it held six or seven or nine weeks to full houses in Dublin.
"It was around the time of the Dublin Theatre Festival, who had knocked it back so Brendan being Brendan put the show on at the same time as the theatre festival and he was the only play at the time that sold out.
"He did that. People think he was an overnight success, and I have to say one thing I have learned from him is that he is extremely inspirational. That man can convince you that you can hop up Mount Everest with two hands tied behind your back and you'll get there. So that is what I've been exposed to."
Speaking to Mary Byrne on their new podcast, The Wise Owl Wans, Eilish said that although she isn't a millionaire, Brendan gave her a "better quality of life".
"I certainly feel like I have a much better quality of life. I'm certainly not a millionaire but I've a much better quality of life. I don't have the debts I had beforehand."
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