Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley broke down in tears on Loose Women while reflecting on the death of her mother, Cath, from cancer in 2012.
During Thursday's programme (November 12), the ITV panel discussed where they draw comfort during difficult periods, following The Princess of Wales's revelation that nature had brought her solace throughout her cancer recovery. When discussing personal sources of comfort, the Emmerdale star spoke about how her faith carried her through the loss of her mother.
Emotional moment on air
She said: "It helped with my mum so much; sometimes it was hard- sorry." Lisa then became emotional as she reflected on her mother's final days, prompting Charlene to rise from her seat and offer her a tissue.
The actress continued: "At the end of the day, when I had to be the leader of the family and tell my dad. My dad was in denial all the way through and through. He was like, 'She'll get better'. I had to be so stoic for the family and go. 'She's not going to get better. She isn't, Dad. She's going to die'.
"Up until her last breath, he believed that. So I was like, 'Dad, come on, remember our faith, remember those days when we used our faith and just had that silence together?' Yeah, you are so rich having the faith you have. It's wonderful."
Faith and family
Lisa revealed on the show that she had been raised a devout Catholic, attending church every weekend and Midnight Mass each Christmas. She informed the Loose Women panel that her faith had similarly sustained her when her mother's father was also facing death, reports the Mirror.
She revealed: "When he was in his last five days of his life, when we had faith, it wasn't necessarily on our knees praying. What we did, around the bed, we just held hands, and we gave that energy.
"That good, heartfelt energy, and it was faith that he would get better. We knew the outcome; we knew he wasn't going to make it, but he could feel that next to him."
Grief and Strictly
Lisa lost her mother, Cath, to cancer in 2012 and has spoken openly about feeling as though she had lost all sense of purpose following her passing. Earlier in the year, she told the ITV programme that taking part in Strictly Come Dancing helped her navigate her grief.
At the time, she said: "Behind the camera, there was so much going on for me and also for Robin [Windsor]. Robin was there for me; he was my dance partner, my grief counsellor, my therapist, all the way through. My family were so grateful for how he got me through the worst time of my life."
Loose Women is available to watch weekdays on ITV from 12:30pm.
