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Steve Bruce has revealed the pain at losing his father coupled with his mother’s continued battle with illness.

The Aston Villa boss described a ‘heartbreaking’ period in his personal life in an interview with The Times ahead of this weekend’s trip to Sheffield Wednesday.

It was in the same city last month where he endured one of the most painful moments in football.

His mother, Sheenagh, had been taken ill before Villa’s 1-0 win over Sheffield United and Bruce admitted: “That was the worst night, I was in a place where I couldn’t concentrate on anything,”

When his father, Joe, passed away a fortnight later, his world was ripped apart.

So it’s now clear why the emotionally-charged clash with Birmingham City soon after meant so much.

“Even though I’d lost my dad, I had to be at that game,” he told The Times.

“He would have wanted me there.

“He would have said, ‘Just do your job, son. No fuss.’

“That was him, exactly what he was like, the type who quietly got on with things.”

Bruce explained how he always spoke to his father before games.

“I’d ring him on a Friday and he’d ask, ‘Who have you got tomorrow?’

“I’d tell him and we’d have a chat.

“He wasn’t one of those dads who followed my every move.

“My mam was the real driving force when I was a kid. She took me on the bus everywhere, you know.

“My dad had to work to make ends meet.”

Bruce, who lives in Cheshire, is regularly travelling up to Newcastle to see his mother who remains seriously ill.

“It’s heartbreaking,” he said,

“It’s been the cruellest three weeks. My mam was so independent and fit.

“She’d get the Metro into town, go shopping, or out to Whitley Bay.”

Mixing it with his demanding job as boss of Villa is tough, but he’s ploughing on.

This morning he conducted his press conference at Bodymoor Heath and spoke with a smile about the desire to get Villa promoted,

Yet behind the brave face he is still hurting.

“The problem is that Newcastle is not on my doorstep, but if that’s what it is, then that’s what it’ll be,” he said,

“It takes seven or eight hours (round trip) but so what?

“It’s what anybody would do. And when I think about the sacrifices my parents made . . .

“Do you know something? We’re all guilty of it, especially in this business: we think we’re invincible.

“You go through life thinking, ‘It’ll never happen to me’. But something like this can happen to anyone.”