| 
by Lorraine Thurlow
Yvette, 37, was part of the Blue Peter team in the 1980s and now presents Most Haunted on Living TV. She lives in Cheshire with her husband Karl, their daughter Mary, and her son William.
“This is me with my granddad Eric on my wedding day in 1999, when I was five months pregnant with my daughter Mary. My husband Karl and I had only known each other for three moths when he proposed – live on BBC1’s City Hospital – but we knew from the day we met that we were perfect for each other. I remember my granddad, who I call Pops, dancing wit me at my wedding and telling me, ‘You’ve got a good ‘un there Vettie.’ But he also said to Karl, ‘Make sure you treat her right, otherwise you’ll answer to me.’
My granddad has always been very protective of me, and also very supportive. He came to auditions with me when I was a teenager, but he made sure I stayed grounded by saying things like, ‘It’s always nice to be nice. Remember that Vettie,’ and ‘When you go for these auditions, just be yourself.’
He was so proud when I got the job on Blue Peter and I remember him shedding a tear when he came to watch me do Stars in Their Eyes. He loves Most Haunted but he often says, ‘Oh Vettie, do you have to scream so loudly.’
I only see him once a month now, because I’m so busy, but my mum visits him every week. He still lives in the bungalow he had when I was a child. My grandma died 10 years ago and he misses her to this day.
They met during the Second World War when he was stationed in Syria. My grandma was a local girl and they met while she was getting water from a well. She didn’t have a word of English but my granddad could speak Arabic and they fell in love. Her family were horrified but they ended up having a wonderful life, travelling all over the world.
They had five children, each born in a different country, and now pops has more than 10 grandchildren. He dotes on all of them and gets cross when I bring my two for a surprise visit because he won’t have stocked his cupboards full of treats.
My granddad is 89 now but still has a full head of hair and is always out and about. He loves his beer and often goes drinking with his sons. I think he had a few beers at my wedding too. See that buttonhole in his jacket? Gaby Roslin was at the wedding and he went up to her and said, ‘Gaby, I think you are fantastic; let me put this rose in your hair.’
He’s such a lovely, sociable man and he’s done so much for me, but now I’m trying to do something for him. During the war he risked his life to defuse two unexploded shells on a railway line, saving the lives of a train full of sailors. But his commanding officer took the glory and was even given a medal. My granddad’s such a gentle man an didn’t say anything because he didn’t want a fuss, but he gets so emotional when telling the story. Now, I’m trying to get some recognition for him, even if it’s just a letter from his regiment saying thank you. It would be my chance to say, ‘We’re all proud of you, Pops.”
|
