Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald: Speak openly about your feelings to weather COVID-19 stress
Sharing a traumatic experience live on air was a turning point for Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald. He’s channelled his grief into a powerful and timely message for others suffering a mental health loss.
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The state’s most loveable larrikin, Ryan “Fitzy” Fitzgerald, knew he’d reached a significant turning point when the sudden death of family dog Cooper released an avalanche of tears after lockdown.
He is now urging South Australians to talk openly about their feelings in a bid to curb the ongoing mental health and wellbeing impacts of COVID-19-related stress, anxiety and loneliness.
A companion for 13 years, chocolate spoodle Cooper died from a stomach tumour in May – six weeks after the virus shut down the nation.
“I was just a mess,” says the Adelaide-born Nova breakfast show host, currently based in Sydney.
“And I kept thinking, ‘This is a dog! What about all the people out there who’ve lost loved ones or lost their jobs’?”.
Fitzgerald’s grief, and his initial reluctance to speak openly about it to avoid crying in public, led him to a courageous decision.
“It was a real turning point,” he told the Sunday Mail, while walking new puppy Beastie.
He cried his way through a morning radio segment dedicated to Cooper, and told sons Hewston, 11, and Lennox, 7, that it was OK for men to be vulnerable and to share their emotions.
“I grew up, like most of my mates south of Adelaide, learning you had to suppress your feelings,” Fitzgerald says.
“Telling a mate that you’re doing it tough was a sign of weakness.”
But the loss of friends to mental health battles over the years, and the added strain of COVID-19, means he believes now, more than ever, that people need not be afraid to ask for help, and to reach out to those who are vulnerable.
Like most, he says some anxiety set in post-lockdown after initially enjoying downtime at home with his wife, Belinda, and sons. Not seeing family in Adelaide for months was “rough”.
Home-schooling tested his patience and the 4.30am radio starts working from home alone were a challenge, as was a significant virus scare in March.
“That was a really tough time,” he says.
Fitgerald and radio co-host Michael “Wippa” Wipfli tested negative to COVID-19 in March after interviewing infected TV entertainment identity Richard Wilkins before his diagnosis.
“The world has changed, and that’s really confronting,” Fitzgerald says.
“We’re not in the clear yet and there’s no quick-fix to this, unfortunately. But what I have found has helped me get through this and get things off my chest.”
