Robin Bailey’s latest heartbreak as beloved pup passes away

Popular breakfast radio host Robin Bailey has told of her family’s heartbreaking farewell to their dog, who she called a “big, beautiful soul”.

Popular radio personality Robin Bailey has been left “heartbroken” after the sad loss of her beloved dog, Rai.

Nearly 18 months after the family pet was first diagnosed with cancer – and just over a year after losing her husband Sean Pickwell to the cruel disease – Bailey’s dog was put to sleep on Saturday night, with the 97.3FM breakfast host revealing the tragic news via Instagram on Sunday morning.

Robin Bailey with her dog, Rai. Picture: Instagram.

A tumour ruptured in Rai’s abdomen, leaving Bailey and her three sons no choice but to farewell the dog.

In her touching Instagram post, Bailey said the family – particularly her middle son, Lewin -were devastated but they knew Rai had had enough.

“It’s awful but last night at 11.25 we had to put our big boy Rai to sleep,” Bailey captioned a slide show of images.

“He collapsed outside and we managed to get him to the 24-hour vets. A cancerous tumour had erupted in his abdomen and he was bleeding internally.

“One of the blessings of this lockdown is everyone was home and we all got to say goodbye and hold him while he slipped away.

Robin Bailey's dog Rai has passed away from cancer. Picture: Instagram

“They say everything happens the way it’s supposed to and the vet who helped us was someone I went to school with in Sydney … she was so kind and he was in pain so it was time.

“Lew is devastated, as we all are, as that big beautiful soul got us through some terrible traumatic times but everyone said we’d know when he’d had enough and we did!

“So heartbroken … he was one in a billion .....one of those truly special dogs.”

Bailey has endured more than her fair share of pain and heartbreak, after losing the father of her three sons – Fin, Lewin and Piper – to suicide in 2014, and then her second husband and “love of her life” Pickwell to liver cancer in 2019.

It also follows a tough year professionally for Bailey, after her radio show Robin, Terry and Bob finished 2020 in seventh place in breakfast, with 8.2 per cent of the audience.