Lady in Red
Around 1993, I read in the national newspapers that the Irish singer, Chris De Burgh’s wife, Diane, had been thrown from a horse she’d been riding and was at risk of having incurred a broken neck injury that might prevent her walking again. Having had a spinal injury at the age of 11 years and not having been able to walk for three years after, I instantly identified with the fears and feelings that would probably have been going on inside her head.
I have always held the view that contrary to public opinion, wealthy and famous people in the public eye can’t always call upon an abundance of positive support whenever trouble strikes at their door and that all the wealth and power in the world can never substitute the empathy from another who’s ‘been there-done that.’
Assuming that Diane could probably benefit from learning about my own experiences in early life and how I managed to walk again against all medical odds, I decided to write to her and offer her any support , encouragement and advice that I could.
As it transpired, Diane’s spine hadn’t been permanently damaged in the horse incident and within a year, she had recovered her full mobility. We had corresponded throughout this period of her recuperation and gradually developed a friendship that will hopefully be lifelong.
Assuming that Diane could probably benefit from learning about my own experiences in early life and how I managed to walk again against all medical odds, I decided to write to her and offer her any support , encouragement and advice that I could.
As it transpired, Diane’s spine hadn’t been permanently damaged in the horse incident and within a year, she had recovered her full mobility. We had corresponded throughout this period of her recuperation and gradually developed a friendship that will hopefully be lifelong.
In 1994, while Diane was recovering from her neck injury, her husband Chris had an affair with their 19-year-old Irish Nanny, Maresa Morgan. Diane and Chris however, battled through the negative press that was to follow and reinvested in their marriage, the love which had always been there, but which had been temporarily pushed to the background during a time of extreme pressure.
Being Irish myself, whenever I returned to the South of Ireland for a holiday, I would always make a point of calling in to the home of the Davisons (the family name of the De Burghs), first in Dublin and then in County Wicklow when the family moved into a castle that Chris renovated over a period of two or three years.
One of the nice things about the Davison family is that any visitor to their home is always made welcome. Diana is a down-to-earth person who clearly has a strong sense of her Irish roots and family responsibilities.
I must confess that my initial contact and friendship with the family was through my contact with Diane and while I have met Chris at his home a number of times and have been a guest at a few of his touring concerts in England, I do not really know him as an individual. I do know of his enormous generosity when it comes to helping out numerous charitable causes and of his total dedication and commitment to his singing.
During one of my visits while holidaying in Ireland during the summer of 1995, Diane told me that her daughter Rosanna was presently going through a difficult time in her life. She was naturally getting ribbed at school about her famous dad’s affair with their Nanny and she was reported to be feeling down and a bit of ‘an ugly duckling’ in the beauty stakes.
I told Rosanna that beauty is something that comes out from within and that she was filled with beauty of thought, beauty of face, beauty of heart and beauty of deeds through her deep love of animals. To give Rosanna a bit of a boost, I told her that I was currently in the process of writing about a dog called 'Bernard' who got bullied. I indicated that the book would be published next year and said that I’d dedicate it to her. In March, 1996, ‘Tales of Bernard’ was published and the inside page indicated that I’d dedicated the book to Rosanna; the identity which I left unknown to the general public until now.
I told Rosanna that beauty is something that comes out from within and that she was filled with beauty of thought, beauty of face, beauty of heart and beauty of deeds through her deep love of animals. To give Rosanna a bit of a boost, I told her that I was currently in the process of writing about a dog called 'Bernard' who got bullied. I indicated that the book would be published next year and said that I’d dedicate it to her. In March, 1996, ‘Tales of Bernard’ was published and the inside page indicated that I’d dedicated the book to Rosanna; the identity which I left unknown to the general public until now.
You can therefore imagine my immense pleasure when I learned that in 2003, Rosanne became ‘Miss Ireland’ and that this beauty competition success was added to when Rosanne was crowned ‘Miss World’ on December 7th in Hainan, a Chinese island province on the south coast.
I understand from her mother that Rosanna is a much happier and more fulfilled person these days and that she truly accepts herself as being beautiful. I am not for one minute slightly suggesting that any emotional support and advice I ever gave to Diane and her daughter Rosanna was instrumental in re-establishing their emotional wellbeing and homeostatis. However, I do believe that often, simply being there at the right time in a person’s life and being willing to offer support can be enough of a stimulus along the road to recovery. On a couple of times during my life, separation bade me welcome as being the polite thing to do, but my soul pulled me back to what we are all placed on this earth to do: to love one another as you would be loved.
Copyright William Forde March, 2012
I understand from her mother that Rosanna is a much happier and more fulfilled person these days and that she truly accepts herself as being beautiful. I am not for one minute slightly suggesting that any emotional support and advice I ever gave to Diane and her daughter Rosanna was instrumental in re-establishing their emotional wellbeing and homeostatis. However, I do believe that often, simply being there at the right time in a person’s life and being willing to offer support can be enough of a stimulus along the road to recovery. On a couple of times during my life, separation bade me welcome as being the polite thing to do, but my soul pulled me back to what we are all placed on this earth to do: to love one another as you would be loved.
Copyright William Forde March, 2012
