When Love Island star Dr Alex George bought four holiday homes on the outskirts of Tenby, he was subjected to a barrage of online abuse and threats from opponents who claimed he was depriving local house hunters of staying in their locality.

Dr Alex stood firm to his decision, stating the cottages comprised a converted outbuilding on his parents’ farm where he had spent his childhood and continues to visit on a regular basis.

This week his love of Pembrokeshire once again came to the fore when he told tv presenter Coleen Nolan that he wants his funeral celebrations to take place in Pembrokeshire.

“I'd like the funeral and cremation to be in Pembrokeshire, and then for people to go to Newgale beach, in Wales, near where I grew up,” he said on the Let’s Start Talking podcast hosted by the Loose Women presenter.

“They could bring their coffee or whiskey in flasks or whatever they'd like, and just remember those good times about me.”

Alex went on to say that he would like music to be played from Nirvana and Elton John, including a mix of sombre and reflective pieces as well as some more energetic numbers.

“It would be a mixture to make people cry a bit and then the more upbeat stuff too," he said.

Alex George, who is a social influencer as well as an NHS doctor and government advisor for Youth Mental Health, went on to say that he is starting to think more about his own death and funeral ceremonies following the tragic death of his brother Llyr to suicide in July 2020. Llyr was just 19.

He said: “Grief is a really complex thing, and most Brits don't discuss it often enough, but it's literally part of all our lives.

“I think you can do what you like in life and you can achieve different things, but none of that really matters. If people think back to that person and say ‘they were an imperfect person but they were a good person’, that would be it. No one's perfect.

“I think we should talk about death more, to understand it, because when I think about my brother, the circumstances were very unexpected and it was different because it was a very sudden thing.

“When someone dies, you're in acute grief and shock - you're trying to think, 'What do I do now? What songs do I pick?' You might be sat down for hours trying to choose three songs or whatever. It's so stressful because you feel a sense of guilt then, like am I doing this right?”

Alex George said he has already begun discussing his mother’s funeral plans with her.

“My mum has said to me that she wants 'Stairway to Heaven' playing at her funeral; I told her she’s so cliche, but it's her favourite song.

The Let's Start Talking podcast is part of a campaign with Co-op Funeralcare to make people more comfortable when it comes to discussing death and funeral wishes and is now available to download from Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Play Store.