Mrs Brown's Boys heartbreak - from devastating deaths to split cast no longer speaking

Mrs Brown's boys has kept us in fits of giggles over the years, but it hasn't all been laughter for the cast when the cameras aren't rolling

Mrs Brown's Boys has been entertaining (and infuriating) the nation for almost a decade.

Brendan O'Carroll has been bringing laughs to our screens as lovable Irish granny Mrs Brown since 2011.

But she has been storming the airwaves since the 90s, going from Irish radio star to BBC favourite to movie star.

O'Carroll, who created the series and stars as matriarch Agnes, has roped his family and close friends into making up the rest of the cast.

While the show has received some scathing reviews from critics over the years, viewers can't get enough of the Brown family's antics and switch on in their millions.

While there are big smiles on screen, there has been tragedy and heartbreak away from the cameras.

Mrs Brown's Boys has been entertaining us for almost 10 years (Image: BBC)

The original cast line-up has not remained intact, with one very prominent star leaving his role in mysterious circumstances.

While the deaths of loved ones has hit the show hard with most cast members being related or close friends.

While Brendan himself has faced a terrifying health scare after filming on the show.

Here is a look at the heartbreaks the brave cast have been forced to face:

Mrs Brown's Boys wouldn't exist without the creative genius that is Brendan O'Carroll.

The comedian, who writes and stars in the BBC sitcom in drag, feared he was going to die from a heart attack after filming a Christmas special in Scotland.

Speaking on Ireland’s The Late Late Show in October 2017, Brendan admitted he thought he was "a goner" and woke wife Jennifer Gibney up.

He said: "I thought I was having a heart attack. I had this bug and at about 2am I had to wake Jenny up. We were filming the Christmas special up in Glasgow.

Mrs Brown's Boys star Brendan O'Carroll as Agnes Brown (Image: BBC Studios/Alan Peebles)

"I said to her ‘You should call an ambulance’. We called the ambulance as we wanted to meet them on the street.

"When Jenny and I were in the lift we were still on 999. They told her to put her hand on my tonsil, to count my heart beat.

"It was all going on. I had the fright of my life and I thought I was a goner.

"When I got in the ambulance they said ‘Well it is not your heart ’ and I vomited it out for 12 hours. I had a very violent bug."

Thankfully, Brendan made a full recovery after his terrifying health scare.