Rove gets candid about wife’s terminal cancer battle
Rove McManus has opened up about his late wife's battle with terminal cancer, and how the couple navigated her devastating diagnosis in the public eye.
The former talk show host spoke candidly with Jess Rowe on her podcast The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show, and shared how he would feel uncomfortable when asked questions about Belinda Emmett.
"It was a tricky thing to navigate without getting mad at people for prying," McManus admitted.
"I'd maybe give a warning and I've had times where I'd literally just sit there with my arms folded and say 'I'm not going to talk about it'."
Rove also shared the difficulties of juggling his high profile career and caring for his sick wife, all under the scrutiny of the public eye.
"At the time it was difficult because you're trying to juggle what you're dealing with in life with what you're dealing with at work," he said.
"Having to do promotion which was part of the job you have to let people know what you're doing but then people want to know what's happening at home."
The former talk show host went on to say that details about Belinda's health were reserved only for close friends and family, as he felt a lot of people asking about her wellbeing were now asking out of genuine concern.
"It's none of your business what's happening at home, I'm not here to talk about what's happening at home," he said.
"There are people who are like 'I need to know so I can write it down and tell people, or take it out of context, or make that key piece out of this whole chat that we've had'."
The star explained that he'd respond to questions about his late wife with very brief answers or no answers all together.
"I'd just shut down," he added.
"People were told that there's legitimate no-go zones and if you don't respect that then you understand that maybe the response you get is not going to be a good one, and that's a roll of the dice you take."
Belinda Emmett sadly passed away after her battle with cancer in 2006.
Rove then remarried in 2009, and he and his wife Tasma Walton have been happily married ever since.
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