Bonnie Ryan has revealed her dad’s death has encouraged her to live life to the fullest, and make every day special.
Gerry Ryan, the acclaimed broadcaster died suddenly on April 30th 2010 at the age of 53.
He had five children, Lottie, Bonnie, Babette, Elliot and Rex with wife Morah and following his passing just over a decade ago, they all appreciate life and never take a day for granted.
Speaking on Mairead Doyle’s Craic On podcast, Bonnie said, “My whole life just seemed perfect [at the time] and then that happened, my dad passed away and I think now, the older I’m getting, I’m realising more the impact it’s had on me.
“I was kind of in a twilight zone initially and it totally affected a lot of my life growing up. I now see at 28, how that has shaped me into the person I am today. I don’t take a single day for granted.”
Bonnie went on to say, “He lived his life to the fullest, and that was just the person he was.
“That’s what I want to be like, I want to make sure I live every moment, I’m not sure how long I’m here for.”
She reveals she’s incredibly grateful that her dad had such a brilliant career in the broadcasting, as she can always go back to old clips and footage to hear his voice.
“I’m so lucky that his job was on TV and on radio where I have an unlimited amount of access to watching him, to hearing him,” she said.
“Sometimes I might go a couple of weeks without watching or hearing anything, and very quickly – I know people say ‘never forget’ – but like you forget for a second kind of like ‘what do they sound like? I need to hear them again’. And I’m just so lucky that I have so much of that.”
She concluded, “I just think he’s the greatest person on the planet. I admire his work so much and him as a person, and as a dad, and what he taught me.”
Earlier this year, one of his other daughter’s Lottie Ryan announced her pregnancy joy, and revealed how much she’d have loved Gerry to see his first grandchild.
While watching a documentary about her dad’s life, was overcome with emotion as she thought about how great it would have been to see him with the tiny tot.
“Watching pops on the telly has me all emotional thinking [about] what a deadly grandad he’d have been,” she said.
“He’d tell me to get my sh*t together and [keep my] chin up. The Ryan Line continues….”
Lottie shared the pregnancy news with her family at Christmas, much to the delight of her mum Morah.
“My mother nearly fainted [when we told her]. She thought there was no hope for me,” she told Jennifer Zamparelli on 2FM.
“It was amazing. In my family, I’m the first out of five kids to have a baby and for them, the excitement is incredible and they’re over the moon with happiness.”
The baby is due this summer – and we wish Lottie and Fabio well!