Lisa Curry recently revealed her troubling history of family violence which caused her mother, Pat, to leave her father Roy, when she 15.
But on Thursday, the Olympic swimmer expressed love for her late father and shared the touching tribute she made for him after he died.
The 58-year-old posted an image of a shamrock that she had tattooed on her wrist to Instagram, paying homage to her father’s Irish roots, before revealing she felt Roy was ‘watching over her’.
Paying homage: On Wednesday, Lisa Curry (pictured) revealed she had a shamrock tattooed on her wrist following her Irish father Roy’s death in a picture she shared to Instagram
‘So if you’re not sure if your loved ones are watching over you … think again,’ she captioned the post.
‘So after I spread my dad’s ashes over the cliffs at Howth and again in the Dublin river… I had the Irish shamrock tattooed onto my wrist,’ she explained.
Lisa went on to reveal when she sees shamrocks, she believes it is a sign from Roy that he is watching over her.
‘If that’s not dad watching over me and giving me a sign … then I can’t explain it’: Lisa explained that when she see’s shamrocks, she believes it is a sign from Roy that he is watching over her (Pictured is a shamrock napkin Lisa found in a second-hand store on Tuesday)
On Tuesday, Lisa shared that she had gone into a second-hand store in Montville to look for crochet doilies.
‘Under the first crocheted runner I picked up, I found this linen shamrock covered napkin. If that’s not dad watching over me and giving me a sign … then I can’t explain it,’ she said.
Lisa went onto to share touching words of comfort for all her followers who may have lost a loved one.
Emotional journey: Lisa recently shared her journey to find out more about her father on SBS’s Who Do You Think You Are? after he was mostly absent from her life following her parents divorce when she was 15 (Pictured on the program in Ireland after scattering Roy’s ashes)
‘Your loved ones ARE watching over you. There have been way too many coincidences for me … I now believe they are signs,’ she said.
Accompanying the post was a photo of Lisa having the tattoo done and another image of her in Ireland, after scattering Roy’s ashes on SBS’s Who Do You Think You Are?
The mother-of-three recently shared her journey to find out more about her father after he was mostly absent from her life, following her parent’s divorce.
Cycle of abuse: The former Ironwoman detailed how she witnessed her late father Roy (pictured centre) hit her mother Pat ‘for years’. Also pictured is Lisa (centre), her sister Melanie and brother Scott
Lisa explained that she and her siblings, Scott, 61, and Melanie, 54, witnessed ‘fights’ and ‘bruises’ for years between her parents.
‘There was quite a few years where we had pretty horrific domestic violence in our household,’ Lisa revealed in the episode.
‘As children we would witness the fights and Dad hitting Mum, and the bruises. Mum always said, “I’ve got three kids and a grand piano… where am I going to go?” She couldn’t leave,’ she continued.
Lisa said of her mother Pat (pictured): ‘I do see my mum suffer still. She is 85 and still sees a psychologist. I know it (domestic violence) affects people for a long, long time’
Lisa’s mother Pat did eventually leave the relationship, divorcing Roy when Lisa was 15-years-old.
The former Ironwoman said that despite having a ‘distant’ relationship with her father in the years before his death, aged 83 in 2015, she has been able to find closure.
‘I do see my mum suffer still. She is 85 and still sees a psychologist. I know it (domestic violence) affects people for a long, long time.’
Lisa has used her experience of abuse to help others, supporting not-for-profit charity Hairdressers with Hearts.
The charity aims to see hairdressers and barbers provide appropriate resources to link clients in domestic violence situations with professional support services.
Worthy cause: Lisa has used her experience of abuse to help others, supporting not-for-profit charity Hairdressers with Hearts