Mary Kennedy has opened up to VIP Magazine about the heartbreaking moment she realised just how lonely she was in life, despite having a loving family only a stones throw away.
The RTE presenter made her heartfelt confession to us about spending Valentine’s weekend alone, and crying her eyes out as she went for a walk to clear her head.
Mary’s children, Eva (31), Tom (28), Eoin (25) and Lucy (23) were all off doing their own things that weekend, and despite loving the fact they were all happy, she felt a sudden rush of loneliness upon realising she’d soon have an empty house.
Opening up to VIP this month, Mary said, “Well it was Valentine’s weekend, and I was really content. Lucy was away, but three of my four children were in happy relationships.
“One was going walking in Glendalough, one was staying with friends and Eva and Benny were going over to the Aran Islands, and for me as a mother, it felt like all the boxes were ticked. I think it’s particularly special for a mother to know that your children are happy, and mine were.
“But I woke up on Sunday and just felt lonely. There was nobody at home and nobody was going to be coming home. I took the dog out for a walk and couldn’t help it, but the tears trickled down my cheeks and I just cried my way around that 6km walk.
“It was fine. I was just sad and lonely on that weekend. I have a full and rich life most of the time, but then there are those other weekends, or those days, or evenings,” she said.
“When you’re lonely, people say the best thing to do is to call someone, but when you’re feeling like that, I really do feel that’s the last thing you want to do.”
Mary also revealed that she finally resonates now with how her own mother felt a few years ago.
“The thing that struck me,” she said, “was that I had had moments of impatience with my mother when she was going through that stage.
“My mother at her loneliest point was living next door to her sister, and I just couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t just walk in, but I can understand now. You don’t want to moan.”
Catch our full interview with Mary in this issue of VIP, which is on shelves now.
