By Lexie Cartwright
Copyright news
Brough, 70, who has been a prominent figure in Australian broadcasting since the 1970s, anchored the network’s Queensland nightly bulletins across the Sunshine Coast, Wide Bay and Mackay before he abruptly went off-air late last year.
Seven previously said Brough had taken extended personal leave, with the journalist now opening up about the heartbreaking reason why he took time off.
His daughter Jess Willmott, who was diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago, had been further diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer.
“We got to a tough stage where things weren’t working and not a lot of options were available,” Brough told the ABC.
“It was just an easy choice for me to leave work and spend as much time as I could around her and her family.”
Since stepping back from his hosting duties, Brough said his days now revolved around helping out with Jess’ three young children on the Sunshine Coast.
“Family is everything and we live together. That’s a beautiful thing because bringing up your children and then being a part of your grandchildren’s upbringing is as good as it gets,” he said.
Brough began his media career in radio in the 70s before landing stints with Nine and ABC covering sport.
He later moved away from news reporting to join Seven in 1990, when he hosted the national program Family Feud, a gig he held for five years until transitioning back to news.
The veteran, who also has a son named Tyson, has suffered significant hardship already, losing his then-three-year-old son Sam more than 30 years ago after he suffered an asthma attack in the family’s backyard.
Years later, in 2014, Brough embarked on a 1,200-kilometre ride to raise money for the Children’s Health Foundation and the Humpty Dumpty Foundation.
“What I learnt from losing Sam was that you never know what people are going through and we must be careful not to be too judgmental,” Brough said at the time.
“I can remember walking through the shops at Christmas the year we lost Sammy and watching people buying toys for their children and wanting to scream that I’d lost my little mate.
“I guess we pass people every day and we have no idea what’s going on in their lives.”
