Sir Bob Geldof has spoken candidly of the “bottomless” grief he still feels over the death of his daughter Peaches.
Peaches died in 2014 at the age of 25, following a heroin overdose.
Speaking to presenter Tommy Tiernan on Irish TV on Saturday night, Bob opened up about how the “ever-present” loss he feels.
“Time doesn’t heal, time accommodates and it’s ever present,” he said.
“You’re driving along and you’re at the traffic lights and for no reason whatsoever, the person in question inhabits you and I’ll cry.
“And then I’ll look around to make sure the people next door don’t see me or are taking a photo and posting it or something.
“But that happens and that happens to everyone. And so you say, ‘ok it’s time to cry now’. You just do it to the maximum because there’s no use holding it in.
“Lights are green, or whatever, and then you go. That’ll always be there and you accommodate that.”
He added: “Once you understand the nature of this because it is boundless and it is bottomless. The grief and the abyss is infinite.”
Peaches was found dead at the home she shared with husband Thomas Cohen and their two sons, Astala and Phaedra, in April 2014.
Her death from a heroin overdose mirrored that of her mother, Paula Yates, who tragically died in the same way in 2000.
In 2016, Bob admitted he had contemplated suicide following Peaches’ death but was saved by speaking to a friend.
He told The Mirror: “I had the sanity, luckily, to phone a friend and tell him, ‘Look I think I’m just starting to get irrational’.
“He almost slapped my face (with his tone) and said ‘Don’t do anything f***ing stupid, stay exactly where you are’ and came around very quickly. People talk you through these things.”
Useful websites and helplines:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill.)
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email: help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0300 5000 927 (open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on www.rethink.org.