I had to share dad through life and in death – I hated it, I felt he was never just mine, Christy Dignam’s daughter says
KIERA Dignam said she had to share her dad Christy "through my life and I had to share him in death, which I hated at the time".
The Crazy World singer sadly passed away aged 63 on June 13.
The singer had been receiving palliative care after a decade-long battle with amyloidosis, a rare blood disorder.
His daughter has now opened up about how she is feeling following the loss of her beloved dad.
Kiera explained: "It's up and down literally every day as it comes..
"Some days are I won't say good days you don't really get good days you get good hours.
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"Anyone who has lost someone will know that it kind of comes in waves and I'm still very much in the numb stage which I was under the impression would last a few weeks.
"I am now like 17 weeks tomorrow."
Kiera previously said that she had to share her dad when she was growing up.
She now said that it was tough sharing her father after he sadly passed away.
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She explained to Andrea Gilligan on Newstalk: "I've said this before I never want to take away from anybody else's loss like a loss is a loss and it's horrific but I had the added extra of everybody knew who he was.
"He was only ever dad to me and I'm the only one who knows how that felt but at the same time, I had to share.
"I had to share him through my life and I had to share him in death, which I hated at the time.
"That probably could come across as selfish but I always felt like he was never just mine.
"So when he died I was just like, 'Okay shut the doors, shut the windows I don't want anybody to know'.
"I didn't want it to be a public thing I just needed that time for myself and a small circle of family."
However, people found out shortly after Christy's passing and Kiera's husband Darren Moran started to get messages.
She continued explaining: "We got a call and within about an hour and a half my husband Darren got a text off somebody to say, 'Just heard Christy passed away. What's going on?'
"So then we had to announce it and I was hoping to leave it a couple of days just to have that time to absorb what was going on. But I didn’t have that luxury either."
TOUGH TIMES
Before his passing Kiera had to release a statement to stop people from spreading rumours that her dad had died.
She explained that she had stopped performing and touring but went on stage for the first time for a family wedding when she first heard the rumours.
Her dad was in hospice at the time and she explained: "The first time I left was for my cousin's wedding and in the weeks coming up to the wedding I was dreading it because I knew I was singing at the wedding for her.
"And I was like, 'I don't know if I will be able to do this,' and obviously we knew my dad couldn't go he was at home and it's my dad's sister's daughter.
"So when we went to the wedding I was on stage and we took a break and Darren turned around and he was like, 'Kiera what's going on?'"
Darren had received over 20 messages from people and Kiera continued explaining: " I had 30 odd messages.
"And I was like, 'What's going on?' And Darren rang my friend and he said, 'What's happening?' And she was after being at the pub and she said, 'The DJ in the pub is after announcing Christy's dead. It's online'."
She told her mum to stay offline so she wouldn't be upset before she called her dad.
Kiera explained: "I rang my dad and I was like ‘Listen I'm just letting you know it's online that you're dead and I'm just double-checking that you're not’.
DIGNAM'S WIT
"And he was like, No, no I'm not,' and I was like, 'Right grand.' So that was kind of wit we had."
The Dublin native went on to say that there had been many rumours over the years about her dad passing away but "that time was the one time it really bothered him because it was very real".
She said: "This time he was in palliative care and it was close to the bone that time.
"And that's why I felt I had to put up a statement to say, 'Listen please it's upsetting my family'.
"I have three kids who are online, well the youngest isn't, the older two [are].
"So then I had to ring my kids and say to them, 'Listen if you see anything online don't worry'.
"And my eldest son had seen it and he was like, 'What's going on?'
"And I said, 'I don't know where it's coming from but you can ring your granddad if you want he's in the house. He's fine'.
"But I think that people don't really realise that although you're in the public eye you're human, you're a person and they can kind of separate that when they think you're just an entity they don't really understand that you have feelings."
