Rove's loss leaves a lesson in life

We all knew deep down that cancer was going to claim Belinda Emmett.

Despite the positive airs, every time she was seen in public with her husband, TV host Rove McManus, she looked progressively more unwell. And the intervals between her public appearances have seemed to grow longer and longer.

The photo essays now being published on many online media websites underline how she ailed. Older publicity pictures show a full-faced girl, while later images reveal her painful wastage.

But her loss need not be totally in vain.

How brave this young couple were, how devoted they must have been, marrying despite the knowledge that their union was doomed, probably much sooner rather than later.

One feels they may have enjoyed more love, warmth and intimacy in their 22 months of marriage than many others do in 22 years.

Their dedication to one another, and their decision to formally declare that dedication through marriage, is a valuable lesson in how to live life unencumbered by the spectre of what might happen.