Brendan O’Connor was a little stunned after asking American comedian Ruby Wax the simple question “How are you?”
The comedian was on Brendan’s radio show on January 22 to discuss his new book ‘A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled’, when Brendan asked how she was doing – only for Ruby to reveal her cat died the day before of the interview.
“I don’t really use the word ‘good,’ but if you want me to say it — yeah, good!” she said when asked.
Brendan then said he was legitimately interested in how she was doing, before she broke the unfortunate news.
‘You really want to know ? I’ll tell you – my cat died yesterday,” Ruby told Brendan bluntly. “So I’m not well, but I’m happy to do the interview.”
Brendan stood a little stunned in the studio, before immediately sending his condolences to Ruby for her tragic loss.
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” said a sheepish Brendan. ‘I am not an animal person, [but] it’s a great thing for people when their animals die, isn’t it? “.
“I didn’t know it would be [a big deal]”, replied Ruby. “We project so much on these animals – so in case you hear a little problem in my voice … that’s why I talk like this – I’m in a lower key, “she said. joked.
People were quick to send their condolences to the actress and comedian both on the radio show and on Twitter, with one user praising Brendan for being able to acknowledge that Ruby was devastated by the loss of her friend. feline.
@Rubywax really sorry to hear about your cat.💔
— LGav (@LGav13) January 22, 2022
Very sorry for your loss @Rubywax 😭 Well done @RadioBrendanRTE to seize and recognize this moment. Cats are very important to humans. #Saturday
— Joanne Sweeney (@JSTweetsDigital) January 22, 2022
Ruby was praised for her talk with Brendan, particularly for his advocacy for mental health, which included his running of “freaky coffee”, for people with mental health issues.
‘[The cafe] is my baby,” Ruby explained. “Before, it was in person – it was in cafes, and I was a bit like AA,” she joked. “It was just for people who were exhausted – that is, everyone.
“We all have these voices in our heads that say ‘you’re not good enough’, blah blah…in a lot of my books I talk about why we think more negatively than positively about ourselves, so we really have to do a concerted effort to change those thought patterns,” she continued.
‘[In the cafe] I would hear a kind of cross section of the audience every night – I would tell them ‘don’t tell me it’s okay’…just give me the weather in your mind”.
