Gloria Hunniford opens up about her daughter's death—in year she would have turned 60

Gloria Hunniford has opened up about her daughter, the late Caron Keating, who died from breast cancer in 2004 aged only 41

Gloria Hunniford opens up about her daughter's death
(Image credit: Chris Jackson / Staff / Getty Images)

In a recent interview, Gloria Hunniford has opened up about her daughter's death who passed in 2004 after a battle with breast cancer.

Gloria Hunniford has opened up about losing her daughter, Caron Keating, to breast cancer 18 years ago. Gloria told Love Sunday Magazine, “[Losing a child is] the worst kind of death you can suffer."

"When you are pregnant, you carry that baby for nine months. It doesn’t matter what age that baby loses his or her life, there’s something about the physical part of giving birth that gives you a deeper loss. It can never go away, you just have to learn to live with it."

The 81-year-old added, “I felt it a privilege to be with her at birth and at the end as well.”


Gloria Hunniford

Gloria Hunniford and Caron Keating

(Image credit: TV Times / Contributor / Getty Images)

Caron spotted the early signs of breast cancer when she spotted a lump in her breast after having her second baby. Despite developing stage 4 breast cancer Caron lived for 7 years after her initial prognosis and ultimately died at her mother's home in Sevenoaks, Kent.

Gloria revealed that if Caron were still alive, they would have been preparing to celebrate her 60th birthday. "What a party we would have had if she’d turned 60!" she said. "I can’t believe she would have been 60, Caron’s been gone for 18 years and I still think of her as she was as a baby."

Gloria revealed that she thinks of Caron every day, particularly when her sons Charlie and Gabriel reach milestones. "Somebody said to me recently, 'Do you think of Caron very often?' I said, 'Are you crazy? I think of Caron every single day,'" said Gloria.

"When one of her sons, Charlie, graduated from university... oh, how she would have loved that.

"She would love the holidays we have, we used to go to this part of France regularly and after Caron died, my two sons, my husband Stephen and myself, bought a house out there."

"I see her all the time there walking along the cobbled streets. I wish she had seen her fabulous boys grow up."

Laura Harman

Laura is the Entertainment Editor for woman&home who primarily covers television, film, and celebrity news. Laura loves drinking and eating and can often be found trying to get reservations at London's trendiest restaurants. When she's not wining and dining, Laura can also be found travelling, baking, and hiking with her dog.