Amanda Keller breaks down on-air amid personal struggles

The radio host was hit with emotion hearing a poignant song on-air, after revealing her husband Harley’s devastating health battle.

Amanda Keller has broken down in tears on-air, after hearing an emotional song that made her think of her beloved husband.

The Sydney radio host, 61, came forward in October with the shattering news her longtime husband, Harley, had privately battling Parkinson’s disease for six years.

Speaking on WSFM’s Jonesy & Amanda on Thursday, Keller and co-host Brendan Jones were discussing “Aussie songs that make you feel good”, when Best Years of Our Lives by Richard Clapton began playing.

Keller was struck with emotion as soon as the song rang out, saying how it reminded her of happy times with her husband, whom she married in 1989.

“This is an amazing song … As I get older, I see this song differently,” she said through tears.

“There’s a lyric here and I think of Harley who’s going through health battles. It says, ‘I wish time would stop 10 years ago’, I’m learning slowly life’s always changing.

“Don’t waste time, but this is a lesson for all of us, whether it’s your kids leaving home, your parents passing away, we all have our challenges but hold on to every moment cause it’s so precious.”

Amanda Keller has broken down on-air after hearing an emotional song.

It comes after Keller first spoke of Harley’s shock diagnosis on an episode of her Double A Chattery podcast.

“I first noticed Harley’s footfall around the house changing, like he was dragging his leg, and his hands started to shake, and he said he’d just been whacked in the thumbs as a wicket keeper playing cricket, but I felt something was going on,” Keller told her podcast co-host, forensic psychologist Anita McGregor.

“I know Harley so well, and how protective he is of his inner core, he was absolutely scared and in denial, and who would blame him.”

Shortly after they noticed something wasn’t right, Harley received news the couple had feared – he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s – an incurable brain disorder that causes uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and co-ordination, with symptoms gradually worsening over time.

“When he came home [from the doctor], we both just sat there completely numb,” Keller remembered.

Amanda Keller with husband Harley and their two sons Jack and Liam. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The mother-of-two explained why, as a self-confessed “over sharer”, she had been keeping the news secret over the past few years.

“I still don’t know what to say … It’s hard when people ask, ‘What’s going on with Harley?’,” she said. “People are shocked at the changes, and I can’t make that better for anybody.

“It’s not a surprise to me, but I still don’t know what to say.”

Despite the difficulties they’ve faced, Keller said the experience had only brought their tight-knit family even closer, including their two sons Liam and Jack.

The family bought a holiday house on the NSW South Coast last year, having sidelined any future plans in a bid to savour the moments they have.

“I’ve had to work out how I feel about the future, and I’ve given up. Not in a bad way, but I can’t afford to think what will happen in 5 or 10 years time,” Keller said.

“I just can’t think about that.”

Originally published as Amanda Keller breaks down on-air amid personal struggles