Mary’s secret heartache on Restaurant
‘I didn’t want to let them down’
SINGER Mary Coughlan was nursing a secret heartache as she filmed a day in the kitchen on TV3’s The Restaurant.
The jazz musician was about to begin a full day’s filming at Marco Pierre White’s Donnybrook restaurant in January when she received word that her father Peter Doherty had suffered a massive stroke. Mr Doherty, a father of six whose wife Peggy died some years ago, died weeks later in Co. Galway.
Mary, who has battled alcohol and drug addiction, has previously spoken about her fractious early relationship with her mother and father. However, she became close to them in latter years.
After hearing that her father had been taken ill and was being taken to hospital, Mary initially considered stopping filming but decided that the show had to go on. She travelled to Galway after filming on the highpressure show. ‘I just got on with the service and I suppose that’s all I could do. I didn’t want to let them down because someone else had pulled out. They would have let me go, but I knew that by the time I got to Galway he would be in good hands so I headed away straight after the show. I hope they edit me well in return. They will probably make a s***e out of me though.’
Mary is one of six new celebrities who will be donning aprons for the brand new series of The Restaurant, which airs from 9pm on Wednesday, February 21.