Roger on My Mum, Your Dad has received much support from viewers this week as he opened up about losing his wife.
The postman is a contestant on the new ITV1 dating show. He is staying in the Retreat in a bid to find love, while his daughter Jess is watching his every move from the Bunker alongside other kids of the parents.
But Roger’s heartbreaking story has struck a cord with viewers after losing his wife to cancer last year.
Roger on My Mum, Your Dad
Both Roger and Jess have opened up about the loss during the show. Before the show began, Jess revealed why she signed her dad up to the show.
She told ITV: “It was a joint thing with my brother and sister and it was our way of basically telling him that we were happy for him to start dating, if that was something he wanted to do.”
Meanwhile, Roger told ITV: “Following my wife’s passing 18 months ago, I didn’t really want to meet anyone. You don’t expect it to be you and you don’t expect it to be your wife.”
Roger talks about wife on the show
During the first episode, Roger opened up about the loss of his wife. He explained to his fellow contestants what happened.
I come in about half an hour later and she basically never woke up again.
He told fellow contestant Caroline on a date: “I never knew what was going to happen to my wife. She had breast cancer about three or four years ago and she got over that. Then we were on holiday in Italy and I just looked behind her ear and there was just a little spot. I said, ‘you need to get that checked out.’ And she did. And it was melenoma but she didn’t know at that time that the cancer had gone to her brain.”
He heartbreakingly went on: “She said, ‘I’m very tired,’ and I said, ‘come on, let’s get you to bed or do you want to go on the settee?’ She said, ‘put me on the settee.’ I come in about half an hour later and she basically never woke up again.”
Roger then detailed the incredibly close bond Jess shared with her mum. He said: “Jessica lost her best mate and her mum.”
Roger talks about grief
In last night’s episode (September 13), Roger spoke about the grief again during a group workshop with a psychotherapist.
Roger said he carried a lot of “resentment” against cancer over his wife’s death. He said: “It took my wife’s breast and it wasn’t happy with that, then it took her life. I do carry a massive resentment against cancer.”
Jess then spoke about the loss of her mum. She said of her dad: “Everyone knows who they are but they’re missing one piece, whereas he’s lost everything. She was his hype man. He’s a totally different person, he’s always been confident because he’s always had my mum there telling him, ‘you’re a good looking man, you’re my man.’
“He said to me that he wishes it was him that had died because he doesn’t think he’s good enough to look after us without her.”
Jess then went on to reveal notes that her mum left them before she died. She tearfully explained: “In those, she said ‘I want you to move on, I want you to find love.’ So hopefully he gives himself the permission.”
Read more: My Mum Your Dad viewers make heartbreaking observation about Roger
My Mum, Your Dad continues on ITV1 and ITVX weeknights at 9pm.
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