Sister of Jo Cox ‘full of love’ for murdered MP’s kids but ‘feels guilty’ for getting to spend time with them

THE sister of Jo Cox has revealed she is racked with guilt when she spends time with the murdered MP’s kids.

Kim Leadbeater, 41, said she is overwhelmed with love for nephew Cuillin, six, and niece Lejla, four.

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But she added: “There are times when I’m with them that are really difficult.

“Sometimes I will be just reading them a book and I’ll feel suddenly guilty, thinking to myself that Jo should be doing this with them, not me.

“But I know that she would want me to be there for all of those milestones, so I am and always will be. Jo was very clear that aunties should spoil the kids, so I do that all the time.”

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Labour MP Jo, 41, was shot and stabbed to death when she arrived for a constituency surgery in Birstall, West Yorks, a week before the EU referendum last June.

Speaking to The Sun on Sunday’s Fabulous magazine, Kim recalled the moment she received a panicked phone call from Jo’s husband Brendan, 38.

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She said: “In the weeks and months after, I don’t know how I coped. Your brain just chooses to push those painful memories to the back of your mind, leaving you to deal with it when you can.”

Jo’s killer, Hitler fanatic Thomas Mair, 53, was handed a whole life term at the Old Bailey in November.

Kim said: “People ask if I think about Mair, but I never have. The one thing in this whole sad situation that I have control of is how I feel and how I react. My choice right now is to not be beaten by him.”

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The family have since launched the Jo Cox Foundation They will take part in a 35km walk around her former constituency on June 17 to mark the first anniversary of her death.

It is part of the Great Get Together campaign taking place around the country on June 16-18 with events including street parties and barbecues.

Read Kim’s full, exclusive interview in next week’s Fabulous Magazine.