Irish rugby international Eimear Considine has said her biggest fear is losing someone else close to her after witnessing her dad's death.

Considine was just 14 when her father died.

In an emotional interview with The 42, she said: "My biggest fear is losing somebody closest to me. My Dad had a heart attack when I was 14, and he died in front of myself and my sister when we were on the beach.

"I never really speak about it but it puts life into perspective. If you miss a tackle you may think it's the end of the world but it genuinely isn't," she said to Rugby Players Ireland as a part of their Tackle your Feelings campaign."

Considine is hoping that telling her story will enable others to deal with their mental struggles in a positive way.

"My mam is the most amazing person ever, she's been a rock our whole lives and our biggest supporter," she added.

"Her thing before every match is 'be as good as your mother thinks you are' because she thinks we're great even when we're not.

“It was difficult going back there but if it encourages one more person to take control of their mental wellbeing, well that’s the job done.

“As a secondary school teacher in my position as a sportsperson having gone through something like this, I think it was a perfect opportunity and I’m in a perfect position to be that role model for students, young people or anybody… even if you haven’t gone through something as traumatic as that.”