Tabatha Coffey is finally ready to share her heartbreaking story of love and loss.
For the first time ever, the Tabatha Takes Over star is opening up about losing her partner of 25 years Diane Keeler, who died in 2022 after a long battle with brain cancer.
Keeler was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in 2014 and subsequently went through years of surgery, chemotherapy and rehabilitation under the Bravo alum’s care.
“I never called it stage 4, because everyone knows what that means,” Coffey told People in an interview published June 11. “Her job was to rest her body. My job was to take care of everything else.”
By 2017, Keeler’s health seemed to be improving before she had a major stroke that left the corporate manager needing 24/7 care as she had lost much of her mobility and speech.
“What I told myself some days is, I don’t know how I’m going to do this, I don’t know if I’ve got enough strength,” Coffey told the outlet. “I just was so frustrated I couldn’t fix or control the situation, and that’s all I wanted to do.”
Keeler was eventually also diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and died on June 10, 2022 with Coffey by her side. And the famed hairstylist still mourns losing the love of her life.
I’m not the same woman and I’m okay with it,” she admitted. “I don’t want to be the same woman.”
However, Coffey is now on a mission to turn grief into good with her online support community ThriveHive and her new Creative Thrive podcast.
“No one cares for the caregiver,” she says. “That’s why it’s so important for caregivers to find the support they need and also to be able to give that to themselves.”
“My intention is to help others,” the 57-year-old added. “And I hope that by talking about it, it reminds people that they’re not alone.”
Real Deal Team