EXCLUSIVE: Nathan Henry, 34, came up with the idea of creating a special series with his father, Glen, 74, in which fans would see a new side to him as he introduces his dad to the world
It’s been two years since Nathan Henry’s life was turned upside down after his father, Glen, was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Since then, the Geordie Shore favourite has been determined to create beautiful memories with his family. Nathan, 34, came up with the idea of creating a special series with Glen, 74, in which fans would see a new side to him as he introduces his dad to the world.
In Geordie Stories: Nathan And Dad, a world away from the reality show that made Nathan a household name, the father-son duo get to know each other in a way they never have before. And fans are invited to join them on their journey, as Nathan flies his dad out to his native Jamaica for an unforgettable holiday.
Though it’s been an unspeakably tough time for the Henry family, Nathan tells new he has surprised himself with how he’s been handling it. The “emotionally-led” star admits he’s used to losing his cool in upsetting scenarios, but when Glen revealed that he might have cancer – before his diagnosis – Nathan was unexpectedly composed.
“I’ll literally fly off the handle in an argument. If someone upsets me, I’ll cry. But when my dad hit me with his news, I went the complete opposite way. I went logical, and practical,” he tells us.
He adds, “I was thinking, ‘Right, you haven’t been diagnosed yet, you’ve been told you may have cancer. It could be this form of cancer, it could be that. Until you get the biopsy results back and you know 100% for sure, there is no point panicking.’
“I knew deep down when he was telling me, I was like, ‘It’s going to be cancer.’ I said, ‘You can work yourself into a frenzy, but there’s no point. And if you have got cancer, there are so many treatments you can have, it doesn’t mean you’re going to die. Let’s just think positively and stay positive, for now.”
He admits, he then feared his calm reaction might be misconstrued by his nearest and dearest.
“It really shocked me because I was like that with my dad, with my brothers, and then when I thought about [my reaction] later, I didn’t want them to think that I’m heartless and wasn’t worried – because I was.
“But I think, in that moment, there was no need for everyone to be hysterical – who is that going to help? It’ll make the situation worse. It really shocked me, and even now, when I speak about it, it still kind of shocks me.”
“If I were hysterical, it wouldn’t have helped my brothers, as they were hysterical. They were both crying. My dad was also trying to be brave when he was telling us on the phone. When I even try and comprehend having that conversation…
“How do you tell your children that you might have a terminal illness and keep your s**t together? If I were on the phone crying, my dad would have cried, and it would have been something he didn’t need. I think I was a bit tough with him.”
As Nathan’s brothers were “hysterical” at the thought of cancer, there was a time when Glen didn’t want to tell them it was definitely – “terminal but manageable” – cancer.
At that point, Nathan’s dad and his brothers, he claims, had “fallen out” over personal matters, so Glen thought it best to keep the upsetting news to himself.
“He had fallen out with my older two brothers, and he said he wasn’t going to tell them. My reaction was, ‘You need to tell them. That’s not fair.’ I was very serious, and we kind of had a little argument about it,” Nathan says. “That’s when I was logical, and we talked about it. I did feel bad because I didn’t think about the fact that he had to muster up the courage to tell one of us, let alone bloody seven of us.
“I was like, it’s not my illness. It’s yours. You have every right to tell who you want. I shouldn’t be sitting there telling you you need to tell someone because I think it’s right. It’s got nothing to do with me.”
The family is now focused on looking after one another, as can be seen in this touching new show. The four-part series promises to offer “a rare and emotional look at Black father-son relationships through a lens of vulnerability, heritage and identity”, as audiences follow Nathan and Glen to Jamaica, Glen’s birthplace, as they reconnect with family roots and open up about masculinity, illness and LGBTQ+ acceptance in Caribbean culture.
Initially worried about how his dad’s “dry” yet “perfect” sense of humour would come across on TV, Nathan admits his old man turned out to be a natural. “You could ask him a question and he’d be like, ‘Yeah’ and won’t expand, and if you ask him if he wants to expand on that, he’d be like, ‘No’ and leave the rest to your interpretation,” Nathan laughs.
“Or you can catch him on one of those days where he literally won’t shut up. You could ask him something, and you will get seven different stories before he gets to the answer, and you would have been there for hours.
“I really hope viewers love the conversations and adventures that lie ahead.”
Episode one of Geordie Stories: Nathan And Dad launched on 3 July, with a new episode dropping every week on MTV Shores*
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Source: Mirror
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