Noel Fitzpatrick 'at rock bottom' after relationship split and tragic death
Noel Fitzpatrick has opened up about the devastating moments that left him at "rock bottom" as the love of his life, his dog Keira, died not long before his relationship broke down
Noel Fitzpatrick has opened up about the devastating moments that left him at "rock bottom" as the love of his life, his dog Keira, died not long before his relationship broke downNoel Fitzpatrick (
Image: Channel 4)
Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick has opened up about hitting "hit rock bottom" after the death of his beloved border terrier Keira, the breakdown of his relationship, and his mother Rita's terminal illness. The 57 year old vet, who is known for his complex veterinary procedures, described Keira as a constant source of inspiration as he expanded his surgery, Fitzpatrick Referrals.
He insisted that every animal that came through his doors was treated as he would want Keira to be treated.
However, tragedy struck in September 2020 when Keira was hit by a van outside his Surrey practice. She suffered severe injuries, including a ruptured abdominal lining and urinary bladder, a crushed sacrum and pelvis, and a dislocated hip.
Despite fearing her injuries could be fatal, Noel decided to treat Keira as she was "dying in his arms".
Noel Fitzpatrick on The One Show (
Image:
BBC)
Keira underwent extensive internal repairs, two blood transfusions, intricate surgery and received a custom implant. Although these treatments seemed to give her a new lease of life, she sadly died in September 2021.
Speaking on the High Performance podcast, Noel emotionally recalled the devastating loss of Keira. He said: "Keira, the dog who was the love of my life, had a very bad accident and she was dying in my arms and I had to either fix her or let her go.
"I tried to fix her, which worked, for a while but then she had a cardiac arrest, and there's very few people I suppose have felt the heart of the being they love actually stop in their finger, as I cut down on her chest my finger was on her heart when it stopped."
In a further blow to Noel, he revealed that Keira's death coincided with the breakdown of his relationship and his mother's declining health back home in Mountmellick, Co Laois. His mum, Rita, passed away at the age of 92 in 2022.
Noel and Keira (
Image:
Noel Fitzpatrick Twitter)
He continued: "Mammy had died, my relationship had split up, and I was at rock bottom. I realised that no matter how hard I tried, with what I do, or the practice I built, it was never, ever going to fill the void. So I went home, it was during Covid and you had to get a vaccine to go to Ireland, but I knew I had to go because Mammy was dying."
Noel's father, Sean, who he still refers to as his hero, died in August 2006 after collapsing on the family farm in Ireland.