Five months after the Curry-Kenny family bid a tearful farewell to their beloved daughter and sister, Jaimi Lee Kenny, matriarch Lisa Curry has bravely shared that she’s still struggling with the loss of her “beautiful girl.”
WATCH BELOW: Lisa Curry returns to her first love – swimming.
“I’m still crying at any time… usually when I’m out in public when people give me beautiful, tight hugs… the tears just roll out,” she confessed last week.
Now, close friends tell New Idea that she would be bereft if not for the support of her second husband, Mark Tabone.
“Mark is so warm and supportive – he’s been a power of strength during this terrible time,” confides a close family friend.
“She has been on an emotional roller coaster and she’d be completely lost without him.”
Lisa, 58, took to social media on Valentine’s Day last week with a special tribute to Jaimi, encouraging everyone to “love and be kind” in honour of her darling daughter.
“Never a moment goes by where Jaimi is not thought about,” Lisa wrote in the emotional post, just weeks after marking her first Christmas without her eldest child.
“Our beautiful girl, who loved flowers for any occasion, in fact … there really didn’t need to be an occasion because flowers just brightened up her day… any day. Five months have passed but she’s never forgotten… ever.”
The three-time Olympian is said to be consumed with sadness that she was not able to help her daughter, who passed away at 33 after struggling with depression, an eating disorder and alcohol abuse for many years.
“Lisa struggled a lot with the fact that nothing she did helped Jaimi,” reveals the friend, who goes on to say even though Jaimi had spent many weeks in hospital throughout her life, her death on September 14 last year at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital was a “huge shock.”
“You have to remember Lisa is one of the most motivated people in the world, and she has helped inspire thousands of people through her business. Yet nothing she ever did seemed to help Jaimi – that broke her heart. But she never gave up hope,” the source continues.
“Losing Jaimi has taken a terrible toll on her. Even though she had battled illness for years and was seriously ill, Lisa always felt Jaimi would beat it and survive. I don’t think Lisa ever imagined life without her daughter.”
“She’s also utterly exhausted – her grief is just so debilitating and draining. She’s just taking it day by day. Most days she still breaks down and cries over the loss of Jaimi.”
Lisa’s friends are grateful that she found and fell in love with Mark, after splitting from her famous ex, former champion Iron Man Grant Kenny. The exes are also parents to daughter Morgan, 30, and son Jett, 27.
“Mark is warm and emotional and incredibly supportive. I’m not sure she could have survived this without him. He’s her rock and has supported her and held her hand throughout this ordeal, rarely leaving her side.”
The devoted couple will head out in their Happy Bus on their On The Road Again Tour, just as soon as Lisa gets her head around being on stage again. She will be doing regional and rural Happy Healthy You workshops, while Mark will be entertaining.
Lisa has spoken about the terrible heartache her family suffered when a doctor delivered the news they had been dreading for years, telling Lisa and Grant that Jaimi may not survive the night.
“It was like they just ripped our hearts out,” revealed Lisa. “Total disbelief … and even though we had prepared ourselves for the worst for weeks, months and even years and thought we were prepared … nothing … absolutely nothing prepares you for that moment or those words.
“Our beautiful girl couldn’t beat the enemy …but she fought and fought… every single day. Wemiss her so much.”
The day after Jaimi passed away, a shattered Lisa revealed the unimaginable extent of her heartache.
“I can barely breathe. I just can’t believe you are not here anymore. I will miss our long hugs and long chats.”
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