Cassandra Thorburn suffers new heartbreak: “We are devastated”
Cassandra Thorburn has shared a touching photo on Instagram of her father, the journalist Max Thorburn, holding her hand. Beside it, is a retro photo of him as a young man. He passed away yesterday after battling cancer, aged 72.
She captioned the image with:
“A journalism career spanning over 50 years in TV, newspapers and radio. A role model to many and my biggest supporter. Thank you for being the beloved poppy to my children and my Dad. Max Thorburn 27/4/1946 - 18/10/2018.”
In an interview with the Daily Mail, the 47-year-old told of her family’s devastation at the loss of their father and grandfather, and paid tribute to the life lessons he taught her.
“My dad’s passing is a loss to so many. I was just blessed to be his daughter and my children had the most incredibly devoted poppy,” said Thorburn.
“What more can be said? He fought hard for 3 years and the last six months have been excruciating. We are devastated.”
“My dad taught me to accept life is full of imperfect people, including ourselves, and to approach each day as an opportunity to do better. If you hurt someone be man enough to admit it and make amends. True gifts.”
Thorburn thanked those who have supported her in a post on Facebook in the aftermath of the death of her father, who was also a councillor in Mildura, Victoria.
“Thank you for all the messages and calls of love and support,” she said. “A man who made a difference passed today. A man who was also just Dad and Poppy and was so deeply loved. My Achilles heel will always be with me.”
The devastating loss comes after a difficult few years for Thorburn with her much publicised split with Karl Stefanovic, co-host of Today, in 2016.