![Geri and Peter married
within a year of first getting
together, and Geri’s late father
was there to walk her down
the aisle. Sadly, however, she
had already lost her mother to
a relentless battle with cancer.
“Yes, he [my father] walked
me down the aisle thank god.
And you look back and realise
there was a reason we did it
in 10 weeks. If we had waited
a year, he wouldn’t have been
there. He was gone 10 months
after we got
married.”
Her father’s
cancer
diagnosis
shocked
her family
to its core.
“I heard on
the radio if
you have a
cough longer
than three
weeks you
should get it looked after. And
he still had this ticklish cough
– it wasn’t a bad cough – but
that was it. A little bit of dust
on the lung. Two weeks later
he was diagnosed with lung
cancer. The following Friday
he was diagnosed with bone
cancer, and two Fridays after
that, it was brain cancer. He
was gone in seven weeks.”
Geri & Ray D’Arcy
Geri’s planned wedding in
2003 to former fiancé Ray
D’Arcy, however, her mother
was preparing for. “I remember
the wedding had been called off
and I was incredibly upset,” says
Geri of her broken romance with
D’Arcy. “My
mum had
hatd cancer
for the
second time
– so that was
all happening
as well at the
same time.
She was
after having
a serious
operation
and she was
in this convalescence place and
I remember the nurses saying to
me, ‘The only thing keeping her
going is the wedding.’ My heart
was just going ‘How am I going
to do this?’”
It transpires that Geri’s
silence spoke volumes. “She
had bridal magazines in her
room, so she said ‘Bring
over some of the magazines.’
She was very weak, but she
was sitting up. I was sitting
behind her on the bed and I
was going ‘Oh my god this
is just awful’ and I thought if
I tell her it’s not happening
am I going to lose her? What
am I going to do? As only a
mother could be, instinctually
she closed the magazine and
said: ‘This wedding is not going
to happen, is it?’ I was sitting
behind her so that she couldn’t
see any of my expressions
– because I can’t hide it on
my face at all. And the tears
ran down my face, and I said
‘Are you disappointed?’ She
said, ‘No no I’m not.’ But the
silver lining in it is that she was
incredibly ill and, at the time,
the oncologist thought she
would never pull through this.
She went to bed that night and
she felt herself slipping away
– literally everything leaving
the end of her body. She said
it was the most unbelievable
experience and she knew, if
she closed her eyes and fell
asleep, she would die that
night. And after we had talked
about that, she said ‘I can’t go,
Geri needs me more than she’s
ever needed me.’ So she stayed
awake rather than die. For two
days and two nights she didn’t
close an eye – she was in an
awful state. On the third day –
or was it the fourth – she finally
sat up and she had something
to eat for the first time. From
that moment on she went into
remission for four years out
of pure determination. She
survived it. And the oncologist
said: ‘We don’t understand
how that happened?’ And I
knew it was a mother’s love.
She was not going anywhere
while this was happening and
that was it.”
How then does Geri look
back on her relationship with
Ray D’Arcy? “I look back with
gratitude – I know it’s a very
strange way to feel. But as a
result of the breakup of that
engagement I got four years
extra with my mother. My dad,
and herself, would go off for
midweek breaks and disappear.
They were madly in love. So we
all got that time with her that I
don’t think we would have got if
that hadn’t happened, because
she was so sick. So a lot of
good came out of it.”
Geri thoughtfully adds: “It’s
really good to stop sometimes
and look back, and join the
dots, because it gives you
confidence in the future, that
whatever is happening, that
you will be looking back and
going I know now why...” Is
she on friendly terms with Ray
now? “I mean we’re fine, we
live in the same area. We meet
in the shop, and it’s all fine, we
meet over the fish counter,” she
chuckles. “I remember when
we were going out he used
to say ‘I don’t think I’ll ever be
the man that you deserve me
to me.’ And I used to go ‘Oh
don’t be so ridiculous.’ But I
look back – and again only time
and distance gives you this
[where everything happens for
a reason] – and I realise that I
probably did need more. And
I do have the man, that I do
deserve to have, now.” ■
“My mum
knew if she
closed her eyes,
and fell asleep,
she would die
that night”
4 TVnow
Geri speaks
movingly of the
passing of her
mum and dad
TEA OR COFFEE? “I’m a
coffee person. Two a day usually,
with soya milk. I don’t take dairy.”
WHO WOULD SHE LOVE
TO HAVE A CUPPA WITH?
“My mum and dad. I’ve loads of
news for them.”
GERI’S
CUPPA FACTS
Tea with...771.indd 4 06/05/2015 15:53:10](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/3d133cf4-1185-429f-9c18-c2fa81353469-150522133817-lva1-app6892/85/Page-04-1-320.jpg)
Page 04
- 1. Geri and Peter married within a year of first getting together, and Geri’s late father was there to walk her down the aisle. Sadly, however, she had already lost her mother to a relentless battle with cancer. “Yes, he [my father] walked me down the aisle thank god. And you look back and realise there was a reason we did it in 10 weeks. If we had waited a year, he wouldn’t have been there. He was gone 10 months after we got married.” Her father’s cancer diagnosis shocked her family to its core. “I heard on the radio if you have a cough longer than three weeks you should get it looked after. And he still had this ticklish cough – it wasn’t a bad cough – but that was it. A little bit of dust on the lung. Two weeks later he was diagnosed with lung cancer. The following Friday he was diagnosed with bone cancer, and two Fridays after that, it was brain cancer. He was gone in seven weeks.” Geri & Ray D’Arcy Geri’s planned wedding in 2003 to former fiancé Ray D’Arcy, however, her mother was preparing for. “I remember the wedding had been called off and I was incredibly upset,” says Geri of her broken romance with D’Arcy. “My mum had hatd cancer for the second time – so that was all happening as well at the same time. She was after having a serious operation and she was in this convalescence place and I remember the nurses saying to me, ‘The only thing keeping her going is the wedding.’ My heart was just going ‘How am I going to do this?’” It transpires that Geri’s silence spoke volumes. “She had bridal magazines in her room, so she said ‘Bring over some of the magazines.’ She was very weak, but she was sitting up. I was sitting behind her on the bed and I was going ‘Oh my god this is just awful’ and I thought if I tell her it’s not happening am I going to lose her? What am I going to do? As only a mother could be, instinctually she closed the magazine and said: ‘This wedding is not going to happen, is it?’ I was sitting behind her so that she couldn’t see any of my expressions – because I can’t hide it on my face at all. And the tears ran down my face, and I said ‘Are you disappointed?’ She said, ‘No no I’m not.’ But the silver lining in it is that she was incredibly ill and, at the time, the oncologist thought she would never pull through this. She went to bed that night and she felt herself slipping away – literally everything leaving the end of her body. She said it was the most unbelievable experience and she knew, if she closed her eyes and fell asleep, she would die that night. And after we had talked about that, she said ‘I can’t go, Geri needs me more than she’s ever needed me.’ So she stayed awake rather than die. For two days and two nights she didn’t close an eye – she was in an awful state. On the third day – or was it the fourth – she finally sat up and she had something to eat for the first time. From that moment on she went into remission for four years out of pure determination. She survived it. And the oncologist said: ‘We don’t understand how that happened?’ And I knew it was a mother’s love. She was not going anywhere while this was happening and that was it.” How then does Geri look back on her relationship with Ray D’Arcy? “I look back with gratitude – I know it’s a very strange way to feel. But as a result of the breakup of that engagement I got four years extra with my mother. My dad, and herself, would go off for midweek breaks and disappear. They were madly in love. So we all got that time with her that I don’t think we would have got if that hadn’t happened, because she was so sick. So a lot of good came out of it.” Geri thoughtfully adds: “It’s really good to stop sometimes and look back, and join the dots, because it gives you confidence in the future, that whatever is happening, that you will be looking back and going I know now why...” Is she on friendly terms with Ray now? “I mean we’re fine, we live in the same area. We meet in the shop, and it’s all fine, we meet over the fish counter,” she chuckles. “I remember when we were going out he used to say ‘I don’t think I’ll ever be the man that you deserve me to me.’ And I used to go ‘Oh don’t be so ridiculous.’ But I look back – and again only time and distance gives you this [where everything happens for a reason] – and I realise that I probably did need more. And I do have the man, that I do deserve to have, now.” ■ “My mum knew if she closed her eyes, and fell asleep, she would die that night” 4 TVnow Geri speaks movingly of the passing of her mum and dad TEA OR COFFEE? “I’m a coffee person. Two a day usually, with soya milk. I don’t take dairy.” WHO WOULD SHE LOVE TO HAVE A CUPPA WITH? “My mum and dad. I’ve loads of news for them.” GERI’S CUPPA FACTS Tea with...771.indd 4 06/05/2015 15:53:10