Holly Carpenter has opened up about her grandmother’s passing, Irish columnist and fashion journalist Terry Keane.
The Dubliner’s gran passed away in June 2008 when she was 16 years old.
“I can remember vividly the last time I saw Terry in my house and she was very sick,” the 24-year-old revealed.
Gran: Holly opened up about her grandmother, Terry Keane | VIPIRELAND.COM
The former Miss Ireland further revealed that she knew her last moment with her gran.
“She hugged me really tight for so long at the door before she left that it scared me,” she wrote for the Irish Independent.
“Terry always hugged me goodbye but it just felt different and I remember feeling uneasy when I looked at mum and could see the worry in her eyes.
“Looking back I feel like she knew it could be the last time.”
Last time: The model knew the last time with her gran would be just that | VIPIRELAND.COM
Holly was devastated to see her gran leave them, but knew it was for the best.
“We all got to say our goodbyes individually by her bedside in hospital before she passed away, it all happened so fast.
“Although she was fading in and out of consciousness I felt like she could hear every word I was saying.
“While it crushed me to see my mum and my aunties so broken and devastated I knew it brought some comfort to see how peaceful she looked in the hospital bed and we knew she wasn’t in pain.
Never nana: Holly’s gran told her grandkids to call her Terry | VIPIRELAND.COM
The brunette beauty also opened up on the attention she received after the press found out that she was Terry Keane’s granddaughter.
“When I started modelling in 2011 I did a fashion show in the Shelbourne Hotel and a photographer came up to me afterwards and asked, “is it true you’re Terry Keane’s granddaughter?” I was a bit taken aback, partly because I was a little shy at jobs back then, as I was only 19 and very new to that scene.
“But I was also quite naive about the interest that remained in Ireland about my grandmother. I said, “Yeah I am, did you know her?” The photographer laughed, said “yes” and asked for a photo.
“When I got home and told my mum about it she said “you should ring John Compton (my model agent at the time) and let him know because it will probably be in tomorrow’s papers.”
No Comment: Press went wild when they found out Terry was Holly’s grandmother | MICHAEL CHESTERÂ
Holly admitted that the interest grew when she ran for Miss Ireland, and said that the phrase, “no comment”, came in handy.
“The interest grew when I was in the running for Miss Ireland and I was surprised at how many questions I was being asked about Terry. I felt a lot of pressure not to say too much because I was conscious that my newfound position in the Irish modelling scene was giving the press the opportunity to bring up Terry’s past again.
“While I am very proud to be known as Terry’s granddaughter, as I thought the world of her and loved her so much, my mum had to warn me not to be naive in thinking that every interviewer had the best intentions. I had to remember that any answers I gave could easily be twisted.
“While I didn’t want to come across as rude and closed off in interviews, I also didn’t want to upset the family, so I learnt two little words that solved that problem: ‘no comment’. I felt like a bit of a diva saying it but it has come in handy since then,” she added.
