‘Life as I knew it is over’: Kerri-Anne Kennerley tells Sunday Night about her biggest battle

KERRI-ANNE Kennerley has spoken about the “one in a million” accident that left her husband diagnosed with incomplete quadriplegia.

CHANNEL Seven’s rumoured $350,000 gamble on Kerri-Anne Kennerley has paid off with a significant lift in ratings compared to last week.
The program pulled in 994,000 metro viewers who tuned in to see Kennerley describe the devastating moment her husband fell off a balcony and broke his neck.

The exclusive interview - which Seven was believed to have paid six figures for - gave the current affairs program a lift of 283,000 on last week (7 April).

The program rated 566,000 on Easter Sunday and 754,000 the week before.

The TV veteran told Seven’s Sunday Night of her husband’s heartbreaking accident, “My life as I knew it is over”.

A doctor described the incident that left John Kennerley with incomplete quadriplegia as being “one in a million”.

Kennerley had just played in a golf tournament at Coffs Harbour and was attending a presentation of prizes afterwards.

Along with John, her husband of more than 30 years, the 62-year-old media personality was chatting with some ladies who asked for a photo. He stepped out of the shot but she insisted he step back in.

“[He] lost his balance and fell backwards. Spearheaded the ground,” she told reporter Mike Willesee. “And as soon as I went round ... went round a few steps down, and he was then on his side. All he could say is, ‘I can’t feel anything’.

“And we were then waiting for the ambulance. I just sat at his head and said everything was going to be OK. Nobody wanted to roll him.”

Kerri-Anne Kennerley visits her husband John in hospital.

An ambulance arrived 20 minutes later and took John to Coffs Harbour Hospital.

A doctor told Kennerley they had put her 75-year-old husband in a coma, and while they’re “pretty good at it, it doesn’t always work”. She was then told to “have some words” with John.

He was taken by air ambulance the following morning and went into surgery that afternoon.

Asked what the advice from doctors was, Kennerley said: “It’s gonna be a year. It’ll be a year before you know what he’ll be left with. And we don’t know.”

Diagnosed with incomplete quadriplegia, John cannot breathe by himself and no longer has use of his legs or arms — but can feel his wife’s touch.

Kennerley says a full recovery is unlikely.

“He knows how tough it is,” she said. “I’d love to be wrong, but I think it would be a miracle.”

Talking about the showbiz life that has become normal for both of them over the years — as well as their private home life — the Aussie TV icon says none of it will ever be the same.

“My life ... as we knew it ... 80 per cent has gone. My life as I knew it is over. That was — that was history,” she said. “This is now a new life. Because he is my priority. And getting him back home would just, you know, that’ll be the best thing since sliced bread. Way in the future.”

John, Kerri-Anne, and Channel Seven reporter Mike Willesee.

Kerri-Anne has spent every day with her husband at the hospital since the incident. She’s seen his communication skills slowly progress — from pointing to letters on an alphabet chart to being able to mouth words.

“But watching him be sad, it’s like I’m inside my head, screaming, that it’s not real. But it is,” she cried. “He’s trapped in his mind, he’s trapped in his body. He can’t speak. He can’t touch me. All I can do is ever so gently hold his head and one shoulder — he’s even torn a ligament in one shoulder — and kiss him.”

She also recounted a bad dream John had last week.

“He said, ‘I dreamt you got fed up of all this and left me.’ I said, ‘That’s never gonna happen.’”

Aware of the battle that lies ahead, Kennerley says she will do what it takes.

“I want him back so bad,” she said. “I want him to actually ... be as happy and have the creativity that he’s always loved and enjoyed.”

Kerri-Anne Kennerley returns to the scene of the accident.