“When Brigitte got cancer, I think I became a man” – Ricardo

“When Brigitte got cancer, I think I became a man,” Ricardo Larrivée told his best friend Marie-Claude Barrett in the most recent episode of the podcast. Open your game.

Not after he became a father, the chef, known to everyone by his first name, said he had changed and grown older. But his wife Brigid was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago.

facing death

“Because all of a sudden, I’m going to lose the one I love the most,” says the man who isn’t afraid to say he has a traditional view of a man’s role as one who cares for his wife and protects his family.

“But you can’t do anything about cancer,” he adds. Also, the cancer may come back and there is a 50% chance of spreading to all three of her daughters.

The famous chef then started making lists, some of which told his loved ones everything they would need to do if he died.

All this while his own mother was battling incurable pancreatic cancer under his roof. Because the son wanted to take care of his mother until the end of her life and teach his daughters the importance of recognizing where we come from.

“I owe everything to women. I had male figures, but the passing of knowledge was done by the women in my life,” he explains. Ricardo also counts Sister Angel – who gave him his first chance on television and acted as a matchmaker between him and his wife – in this important female circle.

Glad to be old

Raised by an abusive father who died at the age of 56 – exactly the age he is today – Ricardo Larrivée explains that he was inspired by this relationship in a positive way, knowing what mistakes he should not repeat with his own family.

“My goal and greatest desire in life is to love a woman to a great extent, and it happened. Tomorrow anything can happen, it will not go away. If I die tomorrow, I will not say anything that I will regret. I have loved, I have loved and I have known the joy of honest friendship,” he said. He also says.

The proud father, who was moved to tears at his daughter Beatrice’s wedding last summer, says he has become more sensitive to the joys and sorrows of others over the years.

He believes he has achieved everything he wanted to do in his life and sees the rest of his existence as a “permanent bonus” of what may happen to him.

“I’m glad I’m old, but I think it’s better to die. I don’t want to live forever and put everything off until tomorrow. I want to live, love and enjoy. Death is important — not too soon — but at some point, it’s time to let it go. It motivates me to be strict in my happiness,” she adds.