‘Some days are scary’: Amanda Keller pays tribute to her husband amid health battle
The radio star’s husband, Harley, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017.
Amanda Keller has paid a touching tribute to her husband Harley Oliver on their 36th wedding anniversary, sharing a card she sent to Harley just before they got married.
The card shows two older people sitting side-by-side snoozing, with Amanda saying she joked with Harley before their wedding about how they’d be sitting like that in 40 years’ time.
“I sent this card to Harley just before we married, when I was away on a Beyond 2000 filming trip. I joked that we’d be sitting side by side in our dotage 40 years later.
“40 years seemed like a crazy unimaginable leap. But I was keen for it all and I believed in us. Today is our 36th wedding anniversary. Not everything has been smooth sailing. Harley’s health means some days are scary, sad and confronting. But I’d still choose ‘us’ every day. Still on the ride. Still leaping and believing,” she wrote.
Amanda’s husband, Harley Oliver, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2017. In 2023, the veteran comedian and radio host shared the news publicly.
Earlier this year, Amanda spoke about how Harley is doing with his condition on the Jonesy & Amanda Show, telling a Valentine’s Day story that struck an emotional chord with listeners.
“It’s so hard as you can imagine. to see the person you love not be as able as they used to be. Of course, it’s so hard,” Amanda said. ““And so I’ve learned that sometimes those big events like birthdays, Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, our easy banter, our easy chat, our easy being with each other isn’t as easy.”
She then went on to say she’d gone for a walk with their dog, and came home to find a bouquet of flowers sitting on the kitchen bench.
“He obviously got someone to help him with that,” Amanda explained. “And his handwriting is so scrawly now, but there was a little card that said, ‘Please be my Valentine’s forever’. And I just thought, when we’re just talking about the effort… You know, is the effort more than the thought, any effort from him like that just means so much to me. It’s a big deal.”
Fans and friends rally around Amanda Keller after emotional anniversary post for her husband
A lot of well-known Aussie names rallied around Amanda after her heartfelt tribute to Harley.
“My beautiful Amanda. Feliz aniversario. Love to Harley, love that card. Love always best ingredient xxx,” former The Living Room co-host Miguel Maestre commented.
“Congratulations darling. Sending much love to you and Harley,” Rebecca Gibney said, with Lisa Wilkinson commenting, “Huge love to you and Harley…your 36 years the definition of true love xx.”
Leigh Sales also chimed in, writing, “Love you both – give H a smooch from me x,” with Deborah Hutton saying, “Huge hugs and love to you…a life lived with your true soul mate. Beautiful.”
Last year, Amanda shared Harley hadn’t been well enough to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary.
“I’m grateful today that here we are, 35 years and we’re still in it together. But it’s hard. I never think of the what-ifs because I think that’s just where madness lies,” she said on her radio show.
“But it’s not the same as the old days where we’d be going out to dinner tonight. But the boys are coming over for dinner. And I’m grateful that we still have each other.
“But it is that thing, isn’t it? On your wedding day where you think no one knows what ride you’re in for? None of us do. As Harley himself says, we all have an asteroid coming at us. We don’t know what it is.”
Amanda Keller celebrates 25 years of motherhood
Earlier this week, Amanda shared her eldest son Liam turned 25, with the Jonesy and Amanda Show sharing a touching tribute to the Aussie star’s journey to motherhood and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room!
On Instagram, Amanda also captured the moment with a carousel of Liam throughout the years.
“Happy birthday to Liam – 25 today. . After years of IVF, it was a miracle to hold you in my arms. We’ve loved every minute of being your parents. The baby, the toddler, the schoolboy and now the man. We are so proud of you. X,” she wrote.
Amanda has publicly spoken about fertility struggles, sharing the challenges in her memoir, Natural Born Keller back in 2015.
She underwent fertility treatments for years, before finally falling pregnant with Liam, and then her youngest son, Jack who is now 23.
”One hung in there and finally, after so many sad visits to the ultrasound unit, our lives changed tack in the best possible way” she wrote. ”We detected a heartbeat. A tiny flashing speck amidst a sea of what looked like submarine signals. Evidence, finally, that there was something there.”’