The family of a paediatric nurse said deteriorating mental health plus the isolation caused by the pandemic contributed to him tragically taking his own life.
Matthew Blackmore from Wavertree was working as a children's nurse at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Brighton.
It was a job his cousin, Laura Cassidy, 36, said he was destined to do since he was a boy.
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She told the ECHO : "Matthew was always aspiring to be a children's nurse since the age of five.
"He watched Carry on Matron and from then he used to make a nurse's hat and dress up as the characters.
"It was always his destiny to be a children's nurse."
Matthew had worked hard to get his dream job as a paediatric nurse in Brighton. He had taken a teaching degree at Edge Hill University to gain the qualifications he needed to begin his career.
Earlier this year, the ECHO featured Matthew in a story about NHS heroes who had continued to work tirelessly during the pandemic.
Towards the end of last year, Matthew's family said he started suffering from anxiety and depression.
Laura said: "We believe his mental health was deteriorating, becoming anxious and depressed from about September but he didn't really discuss it with anyone.
"On Christmas Eve he apparently left work very emotional, and unfortunately, took his own life on Boxing Day.
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She continued: "He seemed to be quite happy in his job but when he went off with ill health in November he was very isolated.
"The NHS was very supportive of his mental health and were really trying to help him.
"But the effect of not being able to see anybody - the November lockdown in particular.
"His ex-partner said he was on his own and quite isolated and wasn't speaking to people about his problems and that took a toll on his mental health.
"Matthew didn't really speak to any of us about how bad it was.
"He was very outgoing and going from that to being on his own, I think that isolation really affected his mental health."
Matthew's sister Abby, 17, paid tribute to her "hard working" brother who would "do anything for anyone".
She said: "Before he moved to Brighton he worked in Slater's Bar on Slater Street in town.
"Whenever he came home even after doing a night shift, if they needed any help on the bar he would help out. That was like his second home."
A Just Giving page has been set up by a colleague in Matthew's memory to raise funds for the Rockinghorse Children's Charity which was close to his heart.
If you would like to donate on the Rockinghorse charity page set up in Matthew's name click here.
Paying tribute to her cousin, Laura said: "A friend of the family said he was born to be different. That wasn't in a bad way, he was just such a unique character who stood out and tried to make people smile.
"He made the whole room light up. He was just beautifully unique - it's such a shame that he's not here any more."
She added: "Don't ever feel like you're burden on someone. Always talk about what's on your mind, whatever is troubling you.
"The worst thing that can happen to a family is have someone take their own life and it's really important, no matter what it is, to speak up."
