Roseanna Ruane reveals devastating moment she was told daughter Saoirse's time was 'limited'
Saoírse won the hearts of the nation following her appearance on the Late Late Toy Show in 2020, which prompted the creation of the Toy Show Appeal.
The fundraiser has raised millions of euro for charities since its inception. Roseanna Ruane has opened up on the moment she was told her daughter Saoirse's time was 'limited,' and there was no more that could be done in her cancer battle. Pic: Instagram/ Roseanna Ruane
Speaking on The Bookshelf with Ryan Tubridy on Tuesday, Roseanna admitted that the family 'still weren't ready' to talk in full about the loss of Saoirse, but revealed that a CT scan in April 2023 changed everything.
'She presented very well and the CT scan was done and it was, 'Sure, lookit, we'll give you a ring later,' this was the norm. Off we go down to Galway,' Roseanna detailed, 'We thought no more of it, we thought it was going to be another good review, but it wasn't.
'We got the CT scans before we ever left Dublin. We were just called into a room and you know it's that look between the doctor and you in the corridor and the beckoning, I just knew.' On Tuesday, Ryan was joined by Roseanna for the seventh episode of his book-inspired podcast, The Bookshelf with Ryan Tubridy. Pic: The Bookshelf with Ryan Tubridy
Roseanna shared how they were told on that day that there was no more that could be done to help Saoirse.
'We were told that day that there was no more they could do — they could keep throwing chemo at her; they could keep having surgeries and surgeries but… She had started initially with the cancer in the tibia in her leg and then she got cancer in her leg and this was a relapse… it just kept coming,' Roseanna shared.
'We were being told her time was limited now, and this was April 2023 and I asked the question would we have her for Christmas and I was told possibly not. That's the day we started grieving the life that we knew was ahead.' Ryan Tubridy and Saoírse Ruane. Pic: SaoirseAndMamma/Instagram
Elsewhere in the podcast, Ryan revealed he had recently found a letter he received from Saoirse following his departure from RTÉ.
The presenter and broadcaster departed the public service broadcaster in 2023, and is now fronting his own mid-morning show with Virgin Radio UK.
Saoirse's letter to Ryan read: 'To Ryan, you're going to be really missed but we will keep up our friendship and our door will always be open to you.
'Thank you for everything Toy Show related, and the unconditional love you have always shown me and my family. We would love you to pop in for some Black Forest Gateau on route home from your holidays in the West of Ireland.
'Lots of love and hugs, Saoirse Ruane.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Inside Maura Higgins' new luxury €1M dream Essex home with generous spaces as fans cry ‘this house is gonna be amazing'
FORMER Love Island star Maura Higgins has shared an insight into her "iconic" new home in London. The 34-year-old Love Island star took to social media late last year to share the first glimpse into her stunning pad. 4 Maura Higgins recently moved into her new home Credit: Instagram 4 Maura created a new Instagram to show off her home renovation journey 4 Maura said this new pad was her 'dream home' The stunning five-bedroom detached home in a gated development is estimated to be worth around €1.2million (£1million), according to its listing on Onthemarket. And although it is unclear how much the TV star paid for the pad, she has decided to take fans inside her renovation of the home. Maura created a new Instagram so she could show off her home renovation journey, aptly named: "Casa A'Maura." The 34-year-old's new Instagram account quickly amassed over 70,000 followers and in her first post, Maura shared that she had finally moved into the new space. read more on love island She posted a snap taken from the kitchen that looks out over the garden of her best pal Carl Bembridge sitting on the kitchen island in the new house. She captioned the wholesome snap: "After the busiest few months... she's finally in. No chairs yet but he always finds something to sit on." Friends and fans all raced to the TV star's comment section to gush over her new fabulous pad. Luke joked: "Islanders, can you all gather around the cardboard box immediately." Most read in News TV Liat commented: "Pretty iconic if I say so myself." Another fan added: "This house is gonna be amazing and you deserve it! Here's to many happy years of making precious memories." Maura Higgins makes shock return to Love Island USA after she was 'replaced' during series Her new five bed pad features a jaw-dropping open-plan kitchen and dining room boasting a marble-effect design on the cabinets. The light-filled kitchen opens up seamlessly into the back garden with the help of bi-folding glass patio doors. The large garden features both a patio and a lawn and is fenced all around with some guaranteed extra privacy guaranteed from the large bushes all around the properties. CASA A'MAURA Meanwhile, the modern property also boasts two reception rooms and five "generously-sized" double bedrooms with one as a master bedroom that features an en-suite and custom-built wardrobes. The interior of the house is currently decorated and painted with modern, neutral tones including greys, whites, and tans. Maura Showing off her home, Maura wrote: 'Bought my dream home,' and posted a photo of the incredible open kitchen which boasts a marble island in the middle. The sleek space has a gorgeous chandelier and grey floors and leads to an outdoor area. I'm A Celeb star The Porsche could be seen under a black cover 4 Maura is delighted to finally move into her new home Credit: Instagram
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Erling Haaland's girlfriend Isabel Haugseng treated to ultra-rare £330,000 handbag as couple enjoy break in Rome
ERLING HAALAND treated his stunning girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen to an incredible £330,000 handbag. The Advertisement 6 Erling Haaland has been holidaying with his girlfriend Credit: INSTAGRAM @isabellaa 6 Isabel clutched a £330,000 handbag Credit: INSTAGRAM @isabellaa 6 It is an ultra-rare piece that can only be purchased at auction Credit: INSTAGRAM @isabellaa 6 The bag is a Hermes Birkin 25 Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile. Isabel, 21, has taken to Instagram to share snaps from their trip and the brunette beauty But her designer handbag got the attention of followers as she clutched the luxurious diamond encrusted holdall. The They claim that it is worth an eye-watering £330,000. Advertisement READ MORE IN FOOTBALL And the handbag can only be purchased at auction from authentic Hermes reseller Madison Avenue Couture. Isabel is all smiles in the photos posted on social media as she stands next to The Norwegian stunner is also seen giggling on a step and posing while looking out over a picturesque lake. Advertisement Most read in Football SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN The Becoming parents has not slowed down their jet-setting lifestyle and they also visited Ibiza earlier this summer. Man City star Erling Haaland's girlfriend Isabel frolics in water in a bikini as pair relax on holiday Their travels have helped Isabel grow in popularity on Instagram after only launching her account in November. Advertisement She now boasts a whopping 108,000 followers. Haaland is due back on the pitch on August 9 when City face Palmero in a pre-season friendly. The club's Premier League campaign kicks-off the following weekend against Wolves. 6 Isabel has 108,000 followers on Instagram Credit: INSTAGRAM @isabellaa Advertisement 6 The couple have one child Credit: EPA
Sunday World
2 hours ago
- Sunday World
‘This nearly broke me' – Irish style guru who bounced back to launch fabulous collection
REINVENTION | 'If you'd told me three years ago that I'd be launching my debut brand at 50, I'd have laughed in your face.' Five years on from the crushing closure of her beloved boutique, the creative is celebrating her fifth decade by launching her debut clothing collection, giving a whole new meaning to the phrase fifty and fabulous. Speaking about her once bustling Newbridge store, it's immediately clear that the loss is as visceral as ever for the talented milliner. 'I have experienced grief and loss before, and this nearly broke me. Even now I can feel myself tearing up when I talk about it,' says the style guru softly. The entrepreneur was the fabulous force behind Vanity Fair, the ultimate destination for occasionwear lovers across the country. After a decade of success on the Irish fashion retail scene, the style mecca shuttered permanently in 2020. Nessa 'Anyone who followed me on Instagram during that time will remember, I cried every day. I just couldn't stop. I was absolutely shattered.' The culprit? COVID-19. 'It was a huge shop, 5,000 square feet, and when weddings stopped, so did we,' she says. 'It was the second lockdown that sealed it. I knew then I had to walk away.' But endings, as they often do, opened up something unexpected. While others might have crumbled under the pressure, the Dubliner chose to create — upskilling, and learning to sew and draft her own patterns in the prestigious, Grafton Academy. That led to a radical rethinking of occasionwear, grounded in sustainability, longevity, and body inclusivity. And so Monessa Joan was born. 'I sold a lot of occasionwear in Vanity Fair, and I always knew when I was selling a dress that it was for a one-off occasion. If it got worn twice, it'd be doing well. And I always kind of felt bad for the outfit because it would be so beautiful. I'd be saying, isn't that terrible? That's going to hang in somebody's wardrobe now. 'When I lost the boutique — well, even before that — I was thinking, if you could just take those sleeves off, or take that belt off… we'd be able to wear clothes much more often. So the idea was kind of always there.' News in 90 Seconds - July 25th Now, through Monessa Joan, she's bringing to life a sustainable, ultra-wearable collection that is produced entirely in Ireland. The brand's standout feature? Detachable elements — sleeves, bows, belts — that completely transform a piece depending on the event, season, or mood. 'I know with sustainability, everyone hops on the bandwagon, but I did want something that could be repurposed and worn in lots of different ways. 'Next year, you don't need a new dress. You just need new sleeves,' she laughs. 'And maybe a different pair of earrings. It's a playful but powerful approach, rooted in her unparalleled knowledge and appreciation of Irish women's bodies and deep-rooted insecurities. 'I've dressed thousands of women. I know what makes them feel self-conscious, what makes them glow. We can go up and down half a stone in any given month — our clothes should work with us, not against us. I've seen too many women cry in changing rooms. I want to change that.' With sizes ranging from 8 to 24, and bespoke adjustments available, inclusivity isn't a buzzword, it's the foundation of the entire edit. The silhouettes are fluid and forgiving, but far from frumpy. The fabrics? A soft, satin-backed crepe that floats over the body. 'Honestly, the way women light up when they try these pieces on — before they've even seen themselves in the mirror — it gives me goosebumps.' And while the designs themselves are clever, Cronin's impact goes deeper. She also runs confidence workshops and online courses, helping women to not only understand their body shapes but to also demystify sizing to silence the harsh inner voice many hear in the fitting room. 'I am not teaching women about body shape to tell you what you can and can't wear. I think women have enough rules in their life without having to add further rules around clothes. 'The number on the label should have absolutely no power over your sense of self. It really shouldn't because it is so arbitrary. I don't think women understand that the difference between a size is so tiny,' explains the designer who opened her first business, a tiny little hat shop - the much adored Mad Hatter - in Dublin in 2001 'You can wear whatever you want, once you understand it. When you are in a fitting room and something doesn't fit, I go through a whole lesson on sizing because I understand it so well. I know this because I stocked over 60 brands in the boutique knowing that not one of them were the same. Even within a brand sizing is different. A size 12 in one shape is different to a size 12 in another shape. 'I think once you understand that a certain pattern wasn't cut for your pear shaped hips, it was cut for a strawberry shaped body, then women understand, it's not their body, it's the dress.' She adds: 'I still have women that message me on Instagram who took my course and say, 'sizes don't bother me anymore, they are nothing to do with me and my body, it's how the clothes were made.' Already stocked in boutiques from Killarney (MacBees Boutique) to Leixlip (Sketch The Label), and with UK expansion now underway, Nessa proves you can rewrite your story at any stage. 'If you'd told me three years ago that I'd be showing in London and launching a brand from scratch at 50, I'd have laughed in your face,' she says. When I look at how far I have come, I am just so proud that everything is made and produced in Ireland. The support from the industry has also been overwhelming. I've opened three accounts in the UK for next year – it's incredible.' Reflecting on one of the darkest periods of her life, Nessa can appreciate the power of redirection, now more than ever. 'Things happen for a reason. I would never have had the time, running my shop, to do this. It would have always just stayed as an idea. So one door closes, another opens.' The entire venture is of course, a family affair, with her husband, Dino, designing the website. But it was her mum Maeve, her cheerleader and confidant, that ensured the style guru was destined to have a career in fashion. 'My mum is the most glamorous woman I know. A teacher all her life, if she had been born in a different time she would definitely have had a career in fashion. 'Every Saturday afternoon as a child was spent in the fitting rooms of shops. She wouldn't always buy, but loved nothing more than trying on clothes, and I'm the exact same. She has always adored clothes, and always looked like she was stepping out in a fashion show. 'Her love of clothes definitely influenced my path. Clothes for me are powerful, you can't have a bad day if you're wearing something you love. It's grand just doesn't cut it, I love every single item in my wardrobe. As for what's next? Expect more mix-and-match innovation, playful colourways, and — in true Cronin style — a surprise accessory or two. 'Who knows what I'll dream up next?' she smiles. 'You'll just have to wait and see.'
