Trinny Woodall has recalled the harrowing moment she had to tell her daughter Lyla, then 11, that her father Johnny Elichaoff had died by suicide.
The fashion and beauty entrepreneur, 61, who rose to fame as co-host of What Not to Wear spoke about losing her ex-husband Jonny in a candid new podcast chat on Monday.
Former drummer and businessman Johnny died in 2014 at the age of 55 after taking his own life in a shopping mall.
Trinny and Jonny, who share daughter Lyla, who is now 21, married in 1999 before getting divorced a decade later in 2009 – but they remained friends and spoke every day until his death.
As well as daughter Lyla, Johnny had his son Zak from his first marriage
Speaking on Ferne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast this week, Trinny explained how she approached the task of telling Lyla the news.
Trinny Woodall has recalled the harrowing moment she had to tell her daughter Lyla, then 11, that her father Johnny Elichaoff had died by suicide
Former drummer and businessman Johnny died in 2014 at the age of 55 after taking his own life in a shopping mall
She said: ‘I think it’s different because both of Johnny’s, Lyla was 11 and Zach was 21 and so you have an awareness of quite a lot but the concept of what death is different at 21 from 11.
‘When I heard about Lila’s dad, Lila was at school and my first challenge was how can I even tell her, how can I say the words to tell her and so my sister was a friend of a woman called Julia Samuel, who wrote an amazing book, Grief Works and she’s fantastic.
‘Julia came around to our house and I just said, ‘I need some words’ and so she said, ‘You’re going to tell her he had a heart attack in his head’.’
Trinny continued: ‘She came back from school and came upstairs and immediately felt, why am I getting upstairs? I’ve just come back. I usually go down the kitchen and get something to eat and Zach was in the bedroom and we lay her on the bed.
‘We told her and she screamed really loudly and it was like an animal scream and then 20 minutes later she’s downstairs getting a snack, so children’s absorption of what has happened is that there’s that gut, she really loved her dad.
‘This thing is just, she can’t quite understand it, but she knows that he’s not coming back in some daily way and then we had a cremation so then there’s a real awareness.’
She also spoke about navigating her own grief and letting go of any guilt she may have felt over his death.
Trinny explained: ‘I think going back to earlier, it’s that would’ve, should’ve, could’ve – so do I regret that I didn’t do more for my ex-husband to stop him killing himself?
Speaking on Ferne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast this week, Trinny explained how she approached the task of telling Lyla the news
Trinny and Jonny, who share daughter Lyla, who is now 21, married in 1999 before getting divorced a decade later in 2009 – but they remained friends and spoke every day until his death
‘No, because it was nothing I could have done. Yeah, so to ponder on the regret of somebody who kills himself, it can take you into the darkest hole, but you can also know when somebody who is in that situation switches off and that is their path and nobody can get in.
‘I had to learn and I think there’s some there’s two fabulous charities who look at that. It’s the biggest case of men dying under 50.’
Jonny found fame as a touring drummer for U2, Siouxsie Sioux and the League of Gentlemen in the Eighties.
Johnny, who had battled an addiction to painkillers for 20 years, took his own life at the Whiteley’s shopping centre in Bayswater, west London, in November 2014.
The drummer-turned-businessman had been talked down from the same spot 11 days previously and was sectioned briefly.
But he returned to the shopping centre twice more in the space of five days before finally killing himself the next day.
Johnny married TV presenter Trinny in 1999 in London’s Knightsbridge and the couple had a child Lyla, now 21, before they divorced in 2009, but remained on good terms.
An inquest into his death was conducted at Westminster Coroner’s Court in November 2015, during which Trinny’s brother Mark Woodall read a statement from the presenter.
She wrote: ‘Johnny Elichaoff was a much loved brother, father and husband and he will be sorely missed by all who knew him.
‘Even in his darkest moments he was always there for those who needed him as a parent, brother, son and spouse with unconditional love and support.
Johnny, who had battled an addiction to painkillers for 20 years, took his own life at the Whiteley’s shopping centre in Bayswater, west London, in November 2014
‘As a person he had the best sense of humour, he was unconditionally kind and never spoke ill of other people.
‘He was heartfelt with his advice and had the ability to always make people feel better once they had confided in him.
‘Everyone who met him had a story to tell about and not a day goes by his family don’t think of him and the utter tragedy of his passing.’
For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch. See samaritans.org for details.
