Sunday Brunch presenter Simon Rimmer was reduced to tears when telling his daughter, Flo, the impact his father’s death had on his life.
During the latest episode of ‘The Apple & The Tree’ podcast by Mail, a father and his daughter engaged in a conversation where parents and their adult children ask personal questions about their family history.
Simon, a 61-year-old TV Chef, shared how reaching the age of sixty stirred up feelings of unease within him. It wasn’t until his father passed away two months later that he was able to accept and make peace with these emotions.
Simon is best known for his work with Mail podcast host Tim Lovejoy, presenting ‘Something for The Weekend’ between 2006 and 2012.
‘Sixty was the only birthday I ever had that I was bothered about’, Simon said.
Simon Rimmer, 61, was reduced to tears when telling his daughter, Flo, the impact his father’s death had on his life. Listen here
Simon recalled how turning sixty had stirred an angst within him. Listen now
Reflecting on this period, Simon mentioned that hitting thirty, forty, or fifty didn’t faze him as much. However, turning sixty brought a sense of instability, making him feel like various aspects of his life were precariously balanced. He feared that any wrong move could lead to a collapse of everything he had built.
‘I knew my dad was fading. I knew we were on borrowed time with him. He died two months after that, and it really brought me back into focus.’
Flo Rimmer, 27, who works in sales, admitted she was worried about her father’s behaviour on the advent of his sixtieth birthday.
‘You were quite emotional and sad’, she commented.
‘You were regretful about certain things that had gone a different way, or where your life was.
‘That made me quite sad because you’ve done amazing things. I remember saying to you that night, you need to take a step back and actually look at where you are and what you’ve become.
‘Maybe yeah, you haven’t hit certain milestones – but that doesn’t mean you haven’t been successful.’
Simon juggled a successful presenting career with the managing of multiple restaurants across Manchester.
He is also an author of cookbooks and has appeared as a contestant on shows Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Mastermind.
In tears, Simon described the death of his father and how remembering some advice he had given him as a child cured him of his gloom at aging.
Simon juggled a successful presenting career with the managing of multiple restaurants across Manchester
Flo Rimmer, 27, who works in sales, admitted she was worried about her father’s behaviour on the advent of his sixtieth birthday. Listen here
Struggling to speak, he said: ‘When he died, we were all there together at his hospital bed. We got to say goodbye.
‘All of my drive, all of my ambition, started when I was 9 and my dad said to me, if I had my time again: I would never work for anybody else.
‘He told me he’d only do what he wanted to do – and I have never had a proper job.
‘My dad was my hero. He taught me everything about being a human being.
‘I will never get over it – I never want to. That’s something I have learned about grief; you never want to get over it.’
To listen to the full episode now, search for ‘The Apple & The Tree’, wherever you get your podcasts.
