Coleen Rooney opened up about the heart-wrenching loss of her younger sister, Rosie, who tragically died aged 14 in 2013 after a lifelong struggle with Rett syndrome, a rare brain disorder that causes severe disabilities.
Despite Coleen's typically private nature, as noted by her mum Colette who said the Liverpudlian WAG "keeps things to herself", she shared her grief on ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!
She did so alongside fellow campmates Dean McCullough and boxing legend Barry McGuigan. Barry also spoke candidly about his own family's experience with death, reflecting on his daughter Danika's battle with leukaemia.
Tragically, just five weeks before her untimely passing, Danika was diagnosed with Stage 4 bowel cancer. During their emotional conversation, Barry revealed his daughter's heartbreaking final words: "Mum, I can't hold on," leaving the entire camp in tears, reports the Mirror.
Coleen opened up to her campmates Dean and Oti Mabuse about her late sister, stating: "I don't usually get worked up, it takes me a lot."
She continued: "Even when Rosie died, I kept it together for me mum and dad," adding that being in different environments makes you stop and reflect. Coleen revealed that the anniversary of Rosie's death is approaching in January.
"She was 14 when she died, she'd be 26 now," she said, acknowledging: "It's hard to lose a child, I've always said that... So we're lucky to have what we've got."
Rosie was adopted by Coleen's parents at the age of two, despite knowing she had disabilities. Unfortunately, her health deteriorated over time.
In her Disney+ documentary, Coleen shared: "Rosie struggled. She couldn't walk and she couldn't talk. She would be in pain and sick but she would still put a smile on her face."
She explained that Rosie suffered from Rett syndrome, a genetic disorder. "Sometimes she used to force a laugh out, I think to make me mum and dad happy. Gradually her brain wasn't functioning and she couldn't eat anymore, she couldn't crawl anymore."
Coleen's mum detailed how Rosie had to be admitted to intensive care multiple times as her condition worsened.
However, they managed to bring her back home to Liverpool for her final days, where they had "one last sleepover" and a party to celebrate her life.
Coleen was tearful as she expressed, "To lose a child is the worst thing that could ever happen to anyone. But when you look back now, she gave us so many good years of happiness and love."
In a candid piece for a newspaper in May 2009, Coleen opened up about her family's struggles as they cared for Rosie when the young girl's health started to deteriorate. She wrote vividly: "Today Rosie can't walk or talk. She can't eat, so she's fed through a tube that goes into her stomach. She has good days and bad days and her health can change from hour to hour. One minute she can be laughing and happy; the next she can be having a fit."
That very year, Coleen and her family ventured to Lourdes in a heartfelt journey, hoping for miracles for Rosie's wellbeing.
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