Tamera Mowry-Housley made an emotional return to The Real on Monday, nearly three weeks after the death of her niece, Alaina Housley, during the Thousand Oaks, California shooting massacre.

Mowry-Housley wiped away tears as she spoke about Alaina’s passing in a preview clip shared by the daytime Emmy-winning talk show earlier today.

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“Alaina was very sweet, loving and kind,” her aunt said. “She was also a debater.”

The former Sister, Sister star continued, speaking on gun violence “She would want me to debate that, but also, I believe that it starts from within. Our country—and it’s sad to say this, and you have to be living under a rock to not believe these words—our country is sick. It’s diseased. It needs healing from within.”

Alaina was an 18-year-old college freshman at the time of her death. She was the youngest of the 12 people killed at the Borderline Bar & Grill earlier this month.

Mowry-Housley and her husband, Adam Housley, eagerly searched for the young girl after the Nov. 8 shooting. Hours later, they shared the news that Alaina never made it out of the bar.

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“Our hearts are broken. We just learned that our niece Alaina was one of the victims of last night’s shooting at the Borderline bar in Thousand Oaks,” the couple said in a statement. “Alaina was an incredible young woman with so much life ahead of her, and we are devastated that her life was cut short in this manner. We thank everyone for your prayers and ask for privacy at this time.”

The teen was laid to rest on Nov. 15.

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Monday’s episode of The Real commemorated the life of the young victim, according to co-host Loni Love.

“Today’s show was dedicated to Alaina Housley,” Love wrote on Instagram. “A foundation has been set up in Alaina’s honor called Alaina’s Voice. You can learn more about the foundation by visiting alainasvoice.org. #TheRealS5

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