On Tuesday’s episode of Loose Women, ITV panelist Janet Street-Porter opened up about recently celebrating her 78th birthday. She shared that she’s increasingly conscious of being the last surviving member of her immediate family, following the deaths of her parents and younger sister.
Janet posted a nostalgic photo with her sister for her birthday, and during the show, she told her fellow panellists that it was a significant time to reminisce and reflect.
Ruth Langsford also spoke about aging and the importance of cherishing memories of deceased family members. As she approaches her 65th birthday, Ruth expressed a positive outlook.
She commented: “I’m 65 this year, it’s very easy to slip into that, ‘Oh god, I can’t believe I’m 65, I’m so old’. I don’t, I now have to look forward and think, ‘How amazing I’m 65, I’m here, I’m alive, I’m standing up.'”
Ruth recalled the death of her sister Julia, who sadly took her own life in 2019 at the age of 62 after a long struggle with depression. Ruth remembered how she resolved to live her life fully in honour of her sister.
She told her co-stars: “I remember when she died thinking, ‘I must live my life well because she didn’t get the chance’. She wouldn’t want me being sad forever without her. So, that kind of drives me on.”
After Julia’s death, Ruth took time off from her presenting role to grieve. The ITV star previously opened up about her own grief on the show, sharing that she often cried in the shower to release her emotions, reports the Liverpool Echo.
In 2022, she revealed to her co-stars: “When my sister died, I had good cries in the shower because it’s very private.”
She explained that the bathroom was a safe space where she could express her emotions without being disturbed, adding: “I think if you’re in the bathroom, whether you like a bath or a shower, it’s that shut the door and nobody really disturbs you. I could have a good old, proper old, loud snotty cry and get that out of my system.”
Meanwhile, Coleen spoke about her late sister Bernie and how she often thinks about her. Whenever Coleen feels down or worried, she reminds herself that Bernie would love to be in her shoes, dealing with those problems.
She shared with her co-stars: “Whenever I get down about things or really worried about things, I just bring myself back into the moment and I go, ‘Yeah, but Bernie would love to be here with those problems and she’s not’.”
Coleen also reflected on her upcoming 60th birthday, saying that while some people might view it as a milestone, she sees it as a celebration of life. Due to her experiences with loss, she has learned to appreciate every day, saying: “Then with birthdays, obviously as you get older, I’ve got my 60th coming up in March, people go, ‘Oh, you’re 60, you’re getting on’ and all that.’
“To me, it’s cheesy I know but honestly, because of things that have happened in the past and losing loved ones when it was way too soon to loose them, it makes me celebrate when I wake up in the morning, let alone if it’s my 60th. I literally wake up and go, ‘I’m still here, I’m alive.'”.
Loose Women continues weekdays on ITV from 12:30pm.