The day Ruth’s heart was ripped out
Our columnist Ruth Langsford has opened up about the day so many mothers dread, because life is never quite the same again…
ThisMorning host Ruth Langsford, 61, has spoken openly about the utter heartbreak she felt, when her only child – Jack, 19, left for university.
In a searingly honest interview, the Loose Women star explained, ‘There were so many tears when Jack left. I was bereft. I had friends who’d done this ahead of me, who said, “Prepare yourself for your child leaving because it’s really awful”.
‘I knew I’d be upset, but I thought it would be fine as I have a busy life. As it turned out, I was devastated. It was like someone tugging at my womb and it was quite a primeval feeling.’
Ruth went on to recall the devastating day she, and hubby Eamonn Holmes, drove her ‘ baby boy’ to university for the first time.
‘The day we dropped him off, Eamonn and I agreed not to make a big deal of it, and we sat in the car and cried. I tried to be a cool mum, but I didn’t feel cool at all.
‘It makes you remember the times your own parents would worry, and you thought they were boring old farts!’
Recalling that feeling of loss that any parent suffering empty nest syndrome will understand, the TV host added, ‘For a while, I had to keep Jack’s bedroom door shut so I could imagine he was in there. One Sunday, I called up the stairs to him for dinner, as I’d forgotten he wasn’t there. You can imagine the floods of tears that came when I realised!’
She added, ‘It’s hard, as even though he’d be at school or with his mates, I saw him at least once a day and knew he was OK. It’s lovely having him home for the Summer. It surprised me.
‘I knew I would miss him and be upset, but I didn’t bargain on feeling like my heart had been tugged out of me.’
Many mothers have either been there themselves, or will be dreading the day it happens to them. But cliché or not, time is a great healer. And the wonderful thing about children, no matter what age they are, is that they will always come back ‘ home’ to see mum and dad!
‘I tried to be a cool mum, but I didn’t feel cool at all’