We’ve just heard the sad news from the Press Association that Gary McAllister’s wife Denise has lost her battle with breast cancer.
Still only in her late thirties, she died with her husband at her bedside in hospital in Nottingham.
Gary gave up his job as player-manager with Coventry in 2003 so that he could help her through the early days of her illness. It had been felt that she was starting to improve and Gary started to look at the possibility of returning to work. Unfortunately she started to suffer again in recent months.
Gary Mac was one of the key players in the spectacular year where Liverpool won five trophies in all. He was also awarded an MBE the same year and every Liverpool fan will be thinking of him right now.
Gary left Liverpool to take on the role of player manager at Coventry. When he decided to leave he said it was what he had to do: “As far as I was concerned it wasn’t a decision. It was just the natural thing to do; I didn’t want to be at a football club.”
The couple got married back in 1993 and have two children, Jake 10 and Oliver 6. It was when she was seven months pregnant with Oliver that she was first diagnosed with cancer, but she refused treatment until he was born. After the birth she had an operation to remove the breast and lymph glands. She then had to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Unfortunately her sacrifice has seen her taken from her husband and sons far too soon.
She also put a lot of effort in for the Breast Cancer Care charity.
On behalf of all Liverpool fans we’d like to send our condolences to Gary, Jake, Oliver and the rest of Denise’s family.
YNWA.