"I can't believes it's been a year earlier," Samuel tells WHO. "I feel like I've only just adjusted to not having her."
It’s not as if Samuel, 40, who quit acting to raise money for cancer research, has been idle since his sister passed away. The self-appointed “cancer vanquisher” has been hitting the streets, raising money for Love Your Sister, the charity he founded with Connie. He thinks about his sister a lot.
“She’s such a part of my everyday and work," the Molly star says. "It's hard to get my head around [the anniversary]."
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Samuel obviously loved his older sister, but the siblings had a complicated, combustible relationship. Even now, Samuel is careful not to “deify” his sister, who he describes as “combative.” “She was the boss, mate, make no mistake,” he says of Connie. “She dominated me. I’d describe our childhood as one-sided.”
Recently, Samuel has reconnected with his older sister, Hilde Johnson. The two had become “strangers” over the years, with each taking turns to travel to Canberra to look after sick Connie. “We naturally get along a lot better than I did with Connie,” he says. “It’s cool to be spending time with her.”
Samuel is also relishing time playing uncle to Connie’s two sons, Willoughby and Hamilton. “They call me Uncle Catastrophe,” he says. “I’m uncoordinated, disorganised and fairly ramshackle. So they love watching the wheels fall off whenever Uncle Sammy tries to do anything.”
For more from our exclusive interview with Samuel Johnson, pick up the latest copy of WHO on sale now!
