I struggled with not seeing my mother in pandemic, says Ryan
RYAN Tubridy has said he struggled with being separated from his mother during the pandemic lockdowns. ‘She’s nearly 80 years old and the first lockdown was really hard for her. It was very, very tough. I was worried about her and I missed her, even though she only lives up the road, but I was worried for her,’ the Toy Show host said yesterday. He credited his two daughters and other family members with getting him through his own battle with Covid-19 and lockdown, saying he has learned ‘a lot of life lessons from the pandemic’.
When asked what got him through the year, the presenter – who was diagnosed with virus in the early stages of the pandemic – said: ‘Undoubtedly my girls, number one, who I managed to, if it was possible, know and love more, so that was beautiful.’ He added that his own immediate family have been ‘amazing’, particularly his elderly mother, whom he missed during lockdown.
Tubridy added that the nation must show gratitude f or t he elderly people who cocooned during the worst of the virus.
‘We’ll all be there someday hopefully and look and think, God, imagine we made them do that. I was bowled over by her [ his mother] and my family,’ he said.
‘I have found that it has been a very moving experience, a very humbling experience and a very educational experience. I think I’ve learned a lot of life lessons from the pandemic.’
He also revealed that he grew closer to his work colleagues, as they all spent so much time together over the past year.
‘I grew to love them in a way that you should only love your proper friends, which is lovely because we spend so much time together,’ he added. ‘I didn’t do any radio shows from home, no TV shows from my shed. I was just bowled over by their determination and their kindness, so that was lovely.’
‘A very moving experience’