The great sadness of Jeroen Pauw

Last week, Loretta Schrijver passed away. The woman whom all of the Netherlands loved—and Jeroen Pauw perhaps even a few percentage points more. In just a few months, Jeroen Pauw lost two great loves that colored important periods in his life. After Manuela Kemp, who we so sadly lost after a scooter accident in Greece, now Loretta Schrijver, of whom we truly knew she was ill, but almost no one realized the seriousness of the situation.

Jeroen Pauw commemorates Loretta

As it goes when you hear that someone you love is no longer there, whether famous or from your surroundings, you crave comfort and want to feed on information about that person. I watched a hilariously funny video ten times in which I was a guest with Loretta Schrijver and Quinty Trustfull on Koffietijd, and we had an old-fashioned fit of giggles. After that, I looked at the Instagram accounts of people who were close to her, like Quinty and also Jeroen Pauw. His text moved me.
Jeroen Pauw and Loretta Schrijver, a duo that lasted for decades

This is what Jeroen Pauw wrote on his Instagram:

“Oh Loret. The little optimist, still happy with the good days during her illness. We were the young ones at the Wereldomroep, in love with each other and the work, ranging from news to Ponypark Slagharen… and about ten years later together as the duo of RTL Nieuws. The relationship was over, but the love remained, and occasionally we could reminisce about the adventures, like last year at Bar Laat. There is so much to miss, but her infectious laugh will always comfort.”

And it didn't stop there

After that, Jeroen posted another message reflecting on their time together at Bar Laat. With Loretta's most important message: Enjoy, Enjoy, Enjoy! And all of this just ten weeks after he posted an ode to Manuela Kemp:
“With her, there was never a dull moment at home. There was singing, crafting, cooking, and laughing. The generous, exuberantly talented Manuela decorated life for herself, for everyone around her, and during our eight-year relationship, especially for me. A time of sparkling rock ‘n‘ roll and also loving, serene togetherness on ’our” Symi, where we loved to stay. She is gone, but leaves behind so much love and memories.”

Growing older means stringing together memories and letting go of loves. Unfortunately, Jeroen is no exception to this, but life may now grant him a long pause.

Source/image: Instagram Jeroen Pauw