Terry Wogan and wife Lady Helen's agonising family heartbreak early in marriage

Iconic broadcaster Sir Terry Wogan and his wife Lady Helen Wogan, who has died at the age of 88, suffered a devastating loss in the early days of their otherwise happy marriage

By: irishmirror.ie

Sep 06 2024
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Terry Wogan and wife Lady Hele

Sir Terry Wogan and his wife Lady Helen Wogan led a charmed life - but suffered an agonising heartbreak in the early days of their marriage.

Lady Helen, who caught Sir Terry's eye back when she was a young Vogue model, has sadly passed away at the age of 88, with son Mark paying a moving tribute to her 'fantastic life'. Her death comes nine years after their family said their final farewells to Sir Terry, who died in January 2016 at the age of 77.

The Wogans led lives filled with accomplishment and personal joys, beginning their long and happy marriage in the early spring of 1965. Their wedding in Rathmines in Dublin was regarded as one of the biggest celeb weddings of the year, with Sir Terry having already made a name for himself as a compere on quiz show Jackpot, as well as a presenter on Radio Éireann show, Terry Awhile.

Clad in a white slimline gown, glamorous Helen cut a chic figure as she was cheered on by umbrella brandishing well-wishers who had turned up in droves outside the Our Lady of Refuge church, never minding the April downpour. Then it was onto their honeymoon in sunny Torremolinos, Spain, and the beginning of a brand new start as husband and wife.

Terry Wogan with his wife Helen and family - sons Alan and Mark, and daughter Katherine, 1970s — Terry and Helen lost their first child Vanessa when she was just three weeks old (Image: Collect Unknown)

Tragically, the couple's newlywed bliss came crashing down one year later, when they lost their little girl Vanessa to a heart condition. For many decades, Terry struggled to speak about his daughter's death, but later opened up about this 'terrible time', which he says left him 'extremely resentful'.

During a 2010 episode of RTE's Meaning of Life series, Terry shared: "There's been precious little sadness in my life. But our first child died when we were still living in Ireland, which was awful. Those were terrible days. We just prayed that she would be saved. These days she could be. But she didn't last long.

"I remember it all so vividly. I remember punching the wall. I took Helen home a couple of days later without her baby and it broke her heart. Vanessa never came home. It's strange, but she's the only one of my children whose face I remember as a baby. I can still see her face. It was a very short time we had with her and I miss her every day. I was extremely resentful of fate, of life and the unfairness. It was tougher for Helen. She carried her. But we had each other. We always will."

He continued: "I never forget it. You ask why it should happen to you. If you go through life you realise it is a lottery and I have been luckier than most in my life."

Sir Terry Wogan wife Lady Helen Wogan sons Alan (L), Mark (R) and daughter Katherine (C) attend a tribute lunch to Sir Terry Wogan at The Dorchester on November 5, 2010 in London, England. — Family meant everything to Terry (Image: WireImage)

Terry and Helen went on to welcome children Alan, Mark, and Katherine, and, despite his high-profile career, the beloved broadcaster always endeavoured to put family first, and would make sure to drive straight home to Taplow, Buckinghamshire, after presenting his Radio 2 breakfast show.

Reflecting on what was truly important to him in a 2014 interview with The Guardian, Terry said: "That school days are the best days of your life is manifestly rubbish. In the end, it's nice to leave. These are the best days of my life, with my wife and my family."

Announcing the news of his mother's death via Instagram, Sir Terry and Lady Helen's son Mark shared a sweet picture of the loving couple, expressing his hopes that they will now be reunited in the afterlife over a 'vodka martini'. Mark wrote: "Our beautiful Mum left us last night after a fantastic life. From a young Irish rose to Lady Wogan, she was the epitome of style and grace."

He continued: "A Mother, Grandmother and Wife, with love and kindness at her core. A strength and a belief that saw her through many of life’s trials. A sense of humour and a turn of phrase that would have you in fits of laughter. A proper lady in every sense of the word. Her and Dad are hopefully sharing a vodka martini and hoping we don’t make too much of fuss. We love you Mum, now and forever."

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