Ten years after losing their daughter to cancer, the parents of beloved Australian actress Belinda Emmett have opened up about how they keep her memory alive.
In an exclusive interview with New Idea, Belinda’s parents, Michael and Laraine Emmett, said they think of their daughter every day.
“On things like her birthday, we make the effort,” Michael said. ‘They’re just our ways to show her we remember her. We remember her every day.”
Michael explained that the couple has also stayed in touch with Belinda’s former husband, Rove McManus, who has since remarried actress Tasma Walton.
“Rove’s got his own wife and we respect that, but we stay close,” he said.
At just 24-years-old, Belinda was diagnosed with breast cancer. In 2001, she received the heartbreaking news that she had secondary bone cancer and had just 12 months to live.
Rove and Belinda tied the knot in 2005 and she passed away a year later, at age 32.
Belinda’s parents revealed Rove’s three-year-old daughter Ruby, from his second marriage, also has a special place in their lives.
“It’s nice to have the little ones around. We’ve got our own grandchildren and they’ve all grown,” Michael said. “So it’s lovely to have [Ruby] in our lives as well. It’s not in a huge way, but it’s pretty wonderful.”
