Tears flow as Amanda Keller reveals husband’s act amid devastating diagnosis
It’s been just over two years since TV and radio personality Amanda Keller revealed her husband Harley was suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
It was a diagnosis he’d been dealing with privately for six years, before she went public with the news during an emotional episode of the Double A Chattery podcast.
“This has impacted him and us and the way we live our lives in many different ways,” the former Living Room host said at the time, revealing that the discovery had left both her and Harley “completely numb”.
Since then, the beloved star has shared occasional glimpses into how Harley’s diagnosis has impacted the couple’s life together – and on February 16 she moved radio listeners to tears as she relayed a poignant Valentine’s Day story on the Jonesy & Amanda show.
“You know, we’re just talking about Valentine’s Day. And for those of you that are new to this show, you may not know that my husband has a neurological disorder. He’s got a form of Parkinson’s and he’s had it for a number of years now, and it’s really hard that he’s always been a giant brainiac and not only does this stuff affect you physically, but neurologically as well,” Amanda shared as she told her co-host Brendan ‘Jonesy’ Jones what happened.
“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.”
Amanda explained that over time she’d “learned not to get upset” when she doesn’t “get back what I want” emotionally on those “big days”.
“And so on Valentine’s Day in the morning, I wrote him a card and I said ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’, and he said ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’. And then for some reason I said, ‘yes, it’s Valentine’s Day’. I just, you know, I couldn’t help myself. And I looked at him in the face and said, ‘you know what I’m telling you, it’s Valentine’s Day’.
And he said, ‘yeah, Happy Valentine’s Day’.”
Amanda went on to say the couple had been married 36 years, so this was their 36th Valentine’s Day as husband and wife.
“And 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 went on.
She explained that she went for a walk with the dog, and came home to find something beautiful – 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’.
Amanda’s voice cracked as she continued, “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.”
Amanda went on to say she showed the bouquet and card to the couple’s sons to show them “how amazing” their father is.
“In the midst of all of this, he knew that that would matter to me, and that’s why he did that.”
Amanda’s emotional re-telling left fans of the show in tears, with many taking to Instagram to give their thoughts on such a moving segment and share their own stories.
“My dad had Parkinson’s. He got his shaving cream and sprayed it in love hearts on the windows for her one year. My heart cracked wide open. And again now,” one listener wrote.
“OMG Amanda you had me in tears. My mother who suffered from Vascular Dementia was going downhill in her last stages. The last birthday card she tried so hard to write her last handwritten message to me, I still have it,” another shared.
“Made me cry, Amanda. So many people dealing with health pitfalls that life throws at us. We need to cherish every day, every hug, every look, every chat ( no matter how trivial) while our loved ones are still with us. Glad you got your Valentine love from your darling. ” another added.
What has happened to Amanda Keller’s husband?
Amanda has previously discussed how she first realised something was wrong when she noticed Harley dragging his foot as he walked.
While Harley explained it away as an old cricket injury, when Amanda noticed his hands shaking too, she knew it was something more sinister.
“At the beginning, I was cross with him,” the presenter confessed on the Double A Chattery podcast in 2023.. “I thought, ‘Why isn’t he fighting it?’ But I’ve come to see you can’t control this. I’ve become kinder and sadder.”
Giving more insight into how Parkinson’s has impacted her relationship with Harley in a May 2025 episode of Jonesy & Amanda, the star talked about their wedding anniversary that year.
“It’s my wedding anniversary today. And in the old days, Harley and I would have been going out to dinner tonight. But he’s not well enough to do that,” the star explained.
“In sickness and in health. And yet that’s where we are. [You have] no concept of what that means until you’re living it.
“And I kind of fluctuate between taking great pride in the fight that we are alongside each other, and the strength that it takes to get up every day and still fight it and still live it.
“But I don’t think you can get to 35 years without the sands shifting between you beneath your feet. If you’re living life, you don’t get to cherry pick life. You engage with it as you find it. And Harley’s very stoic, but it’s hard. And, you know, I’m grateful today that here we are, 35 years and we’re still in it together. But it’s hard.”
She went on to say that she doesn’t dwell on “what ifs” because she thinks “that’s just where madness lies”.
“But you do fluctuate between dealing with what’s in front of you and having the absolute sh*ts that you’re dealing with what’s in front of you. “But as we’ve spoken about before, you scratch the surface. Everyone is going through a story. And to think of the journey you embark on 35 years ago, that’s a very long time. And we’ve lived a rich and wonderful life together, and we still do. But it’s not the same as the old days where we’d be going out to dinner tonight.”
