Wife Kathleen says Byrne ‘doing OK’
GAY Byrne’s wife has opened up about his cancer battle and admitted he is not ready to return to the airwaves “at the moment”.
Kathleen Watkins, who has just released her second children’s book Happy Christmas Pigin, has been married to the former Late Late Show host for 53 years.
Speaking on Saturday night’s Ray D’arcy Show, she said: “I’m as they say, working at the coalface, I’m dealing with it every day.
“I would prefer he didn’t go back on the air at the moment. I just don’t think it’s right for him at the moment and he would be the first to agree he thinks I’m probably right.”
The author said Byrne, who quit his Sunday show on RTE Lyric FM in 2016 after his prostate cancer diagnosis, “always loved radio more than television, he’s a radio man”.
She added: “It’s nice to still be dabbling at 84, we are 84 after all.”
“Some days are better than other days.
“But he’s OK, like so many people with that particular cancer, treat- Kathleen with husband Gaybo ment is ongoing, so we’re in and out of the Mater the whole time to those wonderful people.”
Kathleen also spoke about her husband’s cancer treatment, saying: “It’s been a busy time.
“He’s doing OK, we’re in a management situation, it’s up and down.”
The Dubliner went on to give the highest praise to staff members at the Mater Hospital.
She said: “Could I just say something about the oncology department of the hospital, it’s not an unhappy place.
“In fact it’s a place of calm, I wouldn’t say joyful, I would just say calm.
“People going about their work, looking after people beautifully. I couldn’t praise them higher.”
Earlier this year Gay revealed he had undergone eight rounds of chemotherapy in the course of his treatment, the last two of which were particularly “gruelling”.
His career in broadcasting began on radio in 1958 and Gaybo became iconic as the host of The Late Late Show on RTE One for 37 years.