Nadia Forde bravely faced the mourners at her mother’s funeral today, telling them she has “been left in awe” of her mum’s courage as she battled lymphoma cancer.
Berenice Paolozzi passed away last Saturday after a hard-fought fight with the illness for several years.
Addressing the congregation today in her eulogy at Gabriel’s Church in Clontarf, Nadia praised her mum for her strength.
The model described her mother as a “queen of hearts” and a “real gem”
“We’ve had stories from all over the world and it’s amazing for us to hear stories her travelling during her life,” she said.
“She put up a serious fight in the past five years. I have been left in awe of her courage. I hope I can show as much resilience as her in the face of challenges. Thank you to my brother Stephen, for being a constant support. He has been a rock for my mum.
“What I hope to take with me is her sense of adventure and a part of me believes she’s left this life to start a new one.”
The tv star and aspiring singer added: “I have never felt more like a daughter than I do today and I thank you, mum, for that.”
The 26-year-old has spoken before about her difficult relationship with her mother, but it seems like any issues had been resolved before Berenice passed away.
Nadia and her brother Stephen were raised by their ‘nana’ Bernie after her parents split up when she was seven but an Instagram post she uploaded Tuesday night suggests all had been forgiven with her birth mother.
“In the blink of an eye, everything can change,” the post read. “So forgive often and love with all your heart. You may never know when you may not have that chance again.”
Supporting Nadia at the funeral today were fellow model Lynn Kelly, TV producer John Norton, Jonny Sexton’s wife Laura with their young son Luca, producer Karl Broderick and her publicist Joanne Byrne.
