Jo Whiley is praised for sharing an honest account of her ‘really hard’ Christmas with her ailing parents as she admits ‘they were in a world of pain the whole time they were with us’

Jo Whiley has admitted her family Christmas was ‘really hard’ as she struggled with the realities of caring for her ailing parents.

The TV and radio star, 60, opened up to her Dig It podcast co-host and friend Zoe Ball, giving an emotional and honest account of her Christmas.

Jo previously confirmed her father Martin, a former electrician, is living with Parkinson’s disease and has admitted his declining health had been ‘incredibly challenging’ for the wider family. 

Meanwhile her mother Christine struggles with her own health issues and is currently waiting for three different surgical procedures including operations on her spine and her ankle.

Jo explained how her parents both travelled to stay with her and her siblings over the festive season, whilst she also hosted her mother-in-law and her sister Frances, who has cri du chat syndrome, a genetic disorder.  

‘Christmas was hard, it was really hard,’ she told Zoe. ‘My mum and dad came and stayed with my sister and then Steve’s mum came as well and it was really hard for all of us, for us to have them and for them to be with us as well.’

Jo explained how she soon realised her and her siblings’ houses wasn’t suitable for her parents, admitting: ‘You find all the furniture that you take for granted, all the little steps that you take for granted when you’re an older person are like mountains and they are incredibly uncomfortable to sit in.’

‘They were in a world of pain for the whole time they were with us.’

Jo added that her sister Frances and ‘gallows humour’ helped her and her family through, laughing: ‘Frances was like her usual amazing, tornado of ‘give me a present, give me now, give me another one!’ which kind of sounds funny and it kind of is but it’s kind of really hard as well.’

‘Anybody with people with special needs or learning disabilities in their life will know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s joyful, it’s funny, the way we got through it was proper gallows humour.’

‘The kids were unbelievably amazing and there was a lot of laughter, because if you don’t laugh you cry right? But it was very, very hard work.’

‘For other people who are listening and who are possibly feeling like me, we got through Christmas and it’s done now and that’s good. Christmas can be really, really tough and it was really tough but we came out of it.’

‘And we got through it with a lot of laughter and love and friends and family are amazing, that was my lesson from Christmas this year.’

After a clip of the conversation was shared on Dig It’s Instagram account, followers flooded the comment section to thank Jo for her honesty and shared their own stories in solidarity.

Jo later commented herself to explain her family’s health concerns in greater depth, writing: ‘Trust me, chaos is fine by me & I am extremely grateful that I have my parents – they have always been and still are extraordinary people.’

‘What I was saying was that it was really hard physically for my parents to be at our home because their mobility is restricted. My Mum is in extreme pain because she needs an operation on her spine and also her ankle, so every step she takes is agony.’

‘She used to dash around our house and this year she needed a walker and couldn’t even sit without being in pain.’ 

‘My Dad has Parkinson’s so he tends to shuffle and navigating the steps from our kitchen to the living room is difficult.’ 

‘Frances, my sister, is the most exuberant person you could hope to meet & an incredibly loved and loving Auntie to my kids. But she needs caring for too & that’s a LOT sometimes.’ 

‘They decided to go home early because that’s where they were most comfortable & that was sad. I hope some of this makes sense x’

Jo who raises four children with husband Steve Morton, previously discussed her father’s struggle with Parkinson’s disease in July. 

‘We had been suspecting something was going on with my dad for a while, so it was good to get a diagnosis, and now we’re trying to make sense of it all,’ she told The Mirror. 

‘It’s really early days, and he’s quite confused about it. Something like that puts everything in perspective and stops you from worrying about rubbish. 

‘Everyone will be dealing with those things in real life. That’s the reality of being my age; that you end up having more people to look after and more responsibilities.’ 

She added: ‘I’m a sensitive person, and it’s difficult for me not to show my emotions.  It’s good to share how you’re feeling. I can’t imagine a life where I didn’t cry. 

‘I wish I cried less and if I could take a magic pill to stop myself, I probably would. I cry when I’m tired, so I will suddenly break down for seemingly no reason.

‘Someone will ask what’s going on, but it’s just that I’m exhausted. If I don’t want anyone to know how I’m feeling, I’ll cry while I’m driving or swimming, and I have to try not to swallow loads of water! 

‘Sometimes, there’s just too much going on in your life and head, and the only way to deal with it is to let the tears flow.’ 

Last April Jo said that her sister Frances is the ‘best she’s ever been’, after being moved into a residential care home.

The DJ has been a vocal advocate for people with learning difficulties and often speaks about her experience caring for Frances. 

In an interview with Saga Magazine, she explained that her sister now lives in a home run by Mencap, an organisation that supports people with learning disabilities.

Admitting she constantly worries about if her sibling is happy she said: ‘So many people who were carers or had children or siblings in care said it was such a relief to see that, because it is so hard relinquishing someone you love to somebody else’s care.’

‘You worry so much. The one constant throughout my life is whether Frances is happy, and that awful feeling of, “Oh God, is she being looked after?”.

‘We’ve tried many different homes. Frances doesn’t sleep easily – she won’t sleep in her bedroom, she has tantrums, so you need a place that’s very tolerant of challenging behaviour and knows how to manage things like her running away. But right now she’s probably the best she’s ever been.’