Birmingham TV and radio star to host event exploring adult grief

TV and radio personality and entrepreneur PJ Ellis will host an event exploring how adults navigate grief in partnership with mental health charity Living Well UK.

The free event, titled 'grounded. in grief,' will take place from 6pm to 8pm on Wednesday 28 January at grounded., the wellbeing café on St Paul’s Square in Birmingham. It aims to provide a safe space for people to share experiences of loss, listen to others and feel less alone.

After losing his mum, Ellis launched the platform Mommy’s Boy to encourage men to talk openly about grief following the death of a parent. He said the event was about creating space for honest conversation rather than finding solutions.

“This event isn’t about having the right words or the answers,” he said. “It’s simply about creating a space where people can say, ‘this is what I’m carrying’, and know that someone else in the room might be carrying something similar.”

He added that Mommy’s Boy grew from his own experience of grief and the realisation that many others felt the same but were afraid to be vulnerable.

“When Living Well approached me about this event, I immediately said yes,” he said. “What surprised me most was how many people saw themselves in what I was talking about.”

Ellis will be joined on the evening by Holly Beedon from Living Well UK, Louise Ellis from Cognitive Wellness and Kimberley Owen. The discussion will centre on real stories, reflection and connection, encouraging attendees to relate to one another’s experiences and put words to emotions that are often left unspoken.

Louise Ellis, a CBT and IPT practitioner at Living Well UK, said unspoken grief could have a significant impact on adult mental health.

“There is often an expectation in adulthood to cope or move on once bereavement leave is over,” she said. “January can be a very reflective time, especially after the festive season, and we want people to understand that while it won’t be easy, they’re not alone.”

Living Well UK has launched three grounded. hubs to date with funding from NHS England. The Selly Oak and St Paul’s Square sites operate as community wellbeing cafés offering events, workshops and therapeutic support, while a third hub in Hall Green provides mental health services and community wellbeing activities.

Grief in adulthood is rarely discussed openly, and many adults carry quieter forms of loss beyond bereavement, including changing relationships, family dynamics and identity. Research suggests that while most UK adults have experienced the death of a loved one, many believe the UK struggles to talk openly about death and grief.