EMOTIONAL 2FM star Lottie Ryan has told how her late radio legend dad would have been an “incredible” grandfather.
This year marks 15 years since RTE icon Gerry Ryan passed away from cardiac arrhythmia – leaving behind his beloved wife, Morah and their five kids.
Gerry’s eldest daughter Lottie has now opened up on the traumatic loss of their dad, and how she wishes he could have been alive to meet her baby son.
The grief-struck star told RSVP: “I wish he would have met him, because I think he would have been an insane grandda.
“I think he would have been chasing him, running around the rooftops, doting over him… he would have been an incredible granddad.”
The 39-year-old emphasised that “nobody knows” what their family has gone through since Gerry’s death, except for her siblings.
Speaking about her close family, Lottie added: “We have gone through this together, and I think especially because we were all so young and we were all living together when it happened, we really just locked in as a family unit.
“We were such a close family to begin with, but I think it definitely bonded us like no other bond and made us into the people we are today… the trauma bond is strong.”
The popular presenter continued: “You don’t really realise how much of a s*** show it was until the fog kind of clears a little bit.
Lottie highlighted how she wouldn’t wish the feeling on “anyone.”
Dublin beauty, Lottie, who was just 23-years-old when her father passed away, has revealed some of the sweet family traditions she remembers from Easter and Christmas with her dad.
One story in particular had Lottie’s podcast co-host Jennifer Zamparelli in stitches.
Speaking on their podcast Jen & Lottie Do Parenting, Lottie discussed the importance of family traditions in her life.
She said: “Tradition is important. I love reminiscing on old times.
“I love at Christmas, Easter or Halloween where in my home growing up we had really fun traditions that were done every year.
“And now that I grow up going, ‘Oh my god I get to do this with my kids now’.”
When asked about what traditions in particular she remembers from her childhood Lottie told Jen: “Aw Christmas was huge in my house, parties were huge.
FOND MEMORIES
“Halloween was a big party do. I remember Easter was a big one too.”
Speaking on her Easter traditions, Lottie said that as a kid the Easter bunny had “a lot of energy“.
She humorously added: “He would leave clues to the Easter eggs all over the road we lived on.
“And I don’t know if the Easter bunny had had a few lemonades each year but we would end up in all kinds of places looking for eggs.
“There would be strange gifts left with the eggs or things the Easter bunny must’ve found hilarious last night, but weren’t so funny the next morning.”
And when it came to the topic of Christmas traditions, the Irish star recalled an anecdote which involved her dad setting up the festive decorations each year.
Lottie explained: “At Christmas, the lights on the tree every year, when they came down from the attic and my dad was in charge of the lights, he’d sit down and start to try and detangle the lights.
“And you know, god forbid a bulb was gone? And if you went near him when he was detangling the lights, his bottom lip would come so far out he’d have this puss on him and he’d shout, ‘GET AWAY FROM ME! YOU FOOL!’”
