David Helfgott returns
It’s 20 years since we fell in love with inspiring pianist David Helfgott after Shine, and he’s still full of love for life says CRAIG BENNETT
Gillian Helfgott can’t hide her joy as she warmly recalls the life-changing moment she met her much-loved and amazing husband.
“It was an instant attraction and, incredibly, we both knew we’d be together for the rest of our lives,” explains Gillian, 84, as she welcomes Woman’s Day to their lush two-hectare retreat in the hinterland of the NSW North Coast.
“We’ve just celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary, in August, and our love is stronger than ever. I’ve truly never seen David so happy.”
Gillian, a former astrologer, remembers to the minute when she first saw David, whose tumultuous life was brought to the big screen by Geoffrey Rush in Shine – a performance that won the actor an Oscar.
“David was playing piano at Riccardo’s in Perth – it was November 30, 1983, at 1.15pm. We were introduced and I was immediately engulfed by his incredible aura, talent, passion, endearing eccentricity and vibrant energy,” she reveals. “He was – and still is – the kindest, most unforgettable person I’ve ever met. He brings sunshine wherever he goes.”
Full of love
Gillian says that to this day no one has been able to accurately pinpoint 69-year-old David’s mental health issues. “He has been misdiagnosed for decades,” she says. “David does not have schizophrenia. We recently saw a neuropsychiatrist who diagnosed part high-level autism. David has a brilliant brain and is the most stable eccentric I know.” As David lavishes his doting wife with exclamations of love and affectionate hugs and kisses, Gillian says before they met her astrology chart predicted something big was about to change her life forever.
“It was David. The next day we got together again – he’d been swimming, hopped out of the pool, raced over, gave me a big wet kiss and asked me to marry him. It came as a bolt from the blue, but it was straight from his heart. We hadn’t even known one another 24 hours, and I nearly said yes!” she says.
“We married nine months later in a friend’s garden in Perth, and honeymooned in Bali.”
Troubled genius
But Gillian knew it wasn’t going to be smooth sailing.
“David was divorced, he’d endured 12 harrowing years in an institution, he’d been traumatised and his spirit was broken,” she says.
“His medication was off-key and so he was very fragile and often erratic. I knew marrying David would be a full-time, lifetime commitment.”
‘David is the kindest, most unforgettable person I’ve met’
She put her career on hold and began managing David’s music career full-time.
“Some people were hurtful with their ill-conceived remarks – they thought I was using David for his money,” she says. “When we married he had $200 in the bank, a worn-out radio and an old cane basket – that was it!
“Then came the cruel criticism accusing me of exploitation. The truth is we fell madly in love. David tells me hourly how much he loves me – and I love him. He has a beautiful, childlike trust and his sweetness and gentleness is exquisite.
“He’s funny, is a voracious reader and has the most amazing connection with nature. He loves going on safari in Africa.
“When I met him he was smoking 125 cigarettes a day, and through his love of swimming he was able to give up. Now David swims for two hours a day and is in remarkable shape.”
Animal whisperer
Gillian says David’s evening ritual is saying goodnight to the sunset. He also talks to the horses on a neighbouring property and is fearless around snakes.
“David loves the carpet pythons that visit our property,” she says.
“The only time I ever saw him get sulky was when a large python slithered into the house and under the piano, and David wanted to keep it inside. I gently told him it belonged outside, and opened the door to let it out, which upset David.”
Gillian reveals that when Shine director Scott Hicks first began discussing David’s story with Hollywood d producers,, they wanted Tom m Cruise to play him instead of Geoffrey Rush.
“Can you imagine?” she laughs. “But Scott stuck to his guns, Geoffrey rightly won the role, and the movie changed our lives.
“Geoffrey nailed David’s nuances so superbly, and with such integrity, that there was a time during the filming I thought I had two husbands!
“Twenty years on, we still get hundreds of letters and emails from all over the world thanking David for giving inspiration to those battling mental illness.
“I’ve been incredibly blessed. I have the most wonderful husband, even if he does have a quirk for hiding the teabags – never a dull day in 32 years.”
She says he also loves cleaning and making the bed – sometimes when Gillian’s still in it! “We laugh constantly,” she says. “And I feel comfortable knowing that if I go before him, he’ll be beautifully looked after by family.”
David will perform at the Sydney Opera House on October 29.
‘I’ve been incredibly blessed. I have the most wonderful husband’