Kerri-Anne Kennerley husband dead: KAK’s great love John Kennerley dies - NEWS.com.au

Kerri-Anne Kennerley’s husband John has died aged 78.

The TV presenter made the announcement this morning on Instagram where she shared a photo from their wedding day.

“It’s with a heavy heart and awful sadness that I let you know that my beautiful husband John passed away last night,” Kerri-Anne wrote.

“As you all know, John has faced some tremendous challenges over the past few years and with each he has been extraordinarily brave and determined to overcome those hurdles and live a normal life.

“I want to thank everyone at St Vincent’s Hospital for the beautiful care they have provided to John in his last days.

“John passed away peacefully with his son Simon and me by his side.

“John, you were the love of my life,” she wrote.

John had been in hospital for a few days leading up to his death and a friend of the couple told news.com.au he was susceptible to severe chest infections and pneumonia due to his condition.

“Any small infection would escalate as he had such a weakened immune system,’’ the friend said.

TEARFUL TRIBUTE

Kerri-Anne is a panellist on Studio 10 and this morning her co-hosts were in tears as they spoke about John’s death.

“She is such an extraordinary woman, for everything she has faced over the past few days, she has been putting on a smile and braving all of this stuff which does not matter, while her husband is terribly, terribly sick,” Sarah Harris said on air.

“The most awful things have been written about her. She is a spectacular woman and she’s been holding it together at home and we’re sending her and her family so much love.”

Angela Bishop added, “John is someone I’ve known with Kerri-Anne for more than two decades, and he’s just an extraordinary man”.

“Beautiful, warm heart. He and my late husband actually became firm friends because they were always the plus ones together at functions. He was just a beautiful, beautiful man and this is just devastating news and he really was absolutely the love of Kerri-Anne’s life, there’s just no question. They were couple goals, they really were.”

ENDURING LOVE AFFAIR

Kerri-Anne and John met in New York in the late 1970s and he helped the TV star leave her abusive first husband, music producer Jimmy Miller.

“When she arrived at my doorstep with a black eye and a bit of a bloody nose, I realised exactly what was happening,” John recalled.

Kerri-Anne and John returned to Australia and got married in 1984 at the Sydney Opera House.

John was previously married and had adult children, and the couple lived in Sydney’s eastern suburbs with their beloved dog Digger.

John was left a quadriplegic after a freak fall in 2016 when he slipped off a balcony at Bonville Golf Resort in Coffs Harbour following the annual Ladies Masters Tournament. He fractured his neck and damaged his spinal cord.

John was in a coma after the accident and, when he woke, was unable to move or speak.

After eight months of extensive rehab in hospital, John eventually regained the ability to talk and returned to the couple’s home.

“It’s not like other health issues when you are sick, and you get diagnosed and you are treated, you have a horrible time and you are better,” Kerri-Anne told The Sunday Telegraph.

“This is forever, quadriplegia, paraplegia is forever. It’s a steep learning curve that I haven’t finished yet.”

Speaking on Channel 7’s Sunday Night after the accident, John praised Kerri-Anne for her support and said she was the only reason he decided to continue on.

“(Kerri-Anne) is very loving and she has been the strength of my whole recovery,” he said.

“Without her I don’t think I would have attempted it but, as I say, she was there when I woke up and she has been with me every day.

“It is really, really been hard … I have appreciated it, she never faltered. Never faltered.”

Friends and colleagues from across the entertainment industry shared their condolences.

Fellow Network Ten personality, Lisa Wilkinson, also sent her condolences on Twitter.

“So sorry to hear of the passing of Kerri-Anne Kennerley’s husband John,” The Project co-host tweeted. “Their love for each other was absolute. Never more so than in the years since John’s tragic accident. Vale.”

Let's block ads! (Why?)