Shannon & Shavaughn reveal ‘HOW WE KEEP HELENA'S MEMORY ALIVE'

The late star’s daughter and best friend open up about the lessons the broadcaster has taught them

- LEENA TAILOR

Just over five years on from Helena McAlpine’s death, her daughter Shannon and bestie Shavaughn Ruakere still think about her and grieve for her daily, and though talking about the wacky, fun-loving TV and radio star may be painful, they both agree it’s the best therapy.

“She was a ridiculous person, in the best sense,” the former Shortland Street actress says of her BFF, who died in 2015, at just 37, after a six-year battle with breast cancer. “Definitely my most embarrassing friend! I miss her zest for life.”

And while their mother-daughter relationship wasn’t always smooth sailing, for Shannon, learning that she has bipolar disorder has helped her better understand Helena, who was also diagnosed with the same mental health condition.

Shannon, 20, tells us, “Many of the struggles Mum and I had stemmed from her thinking, ‘I’m going to die soon and my daughter’s got issues – I can see her turning into myself.’

“She understood what was happening to me, but knew she would pass away before she could help more. She was loving and supportive, but sometimes that came out as confusion or she got angry at herself, which didn’t help.”

Before she died, Helena had passionately advocated for breast cancer awareness and her impact is now being saluted with the Helena McAlpine Young Women’s Breast Cancer Study, a new research project funded by the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ.