Carol McGiffin broke down in tears when Pat Butcher died in EastEnders
Carol McGiffin hates crying because it makes her "look uglier", but she could not hold back the tears when she watched Pat Butcher die in EastEnders in January 2012.
Carol McGiffin rarely cries but admits she sobbed when she watched Pat Butcher die in EastEnders.
The formidable 65-year-old broadcaster broke down in tears when Pam St. Clement's alter ego took her last breath, surrounded by her on-screen family, including son David Wicks (Michael French) and stepdaughter Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) in the hit BBC One soap in January 2012.
Writing in her latest Best magazine column, Carol said: "I don't love a good cry because it makes me look uglier, but sometimes you need it.
"Lost loved ones or pets justify full-on, days-long wracking, snotty sobs, but they're rare.
"Mostly I cry over ridiculous things like films and TV shows.
"I cried when Pat Butcher died in EastEnders, the sight of her earrings all laid out ready for the funeral was just too much."
However, Carol tries to hold back the tears because her husband, Mark Cassidy, 43, teases her when she sheds a tear.
The Celebrity Big Brother 2013 housemate added: "I do try not to though as Mark just laughs at me.
"I've also been known to cry at weddings!"
However, Carol does not get emotional about things that cannot be changed.
She explained: "Things I never cry about are things I can't change.
"As the saying goes, 'No point crying over spilt milk,' because what's done is done.
"I've also never cried over a broken relationship, apart from when I was 14."
In 2019, Carol wept and asked for a box of tissues live on Loose Women as she saw clips of Cold Feet's Jen Gifford's cancer storyline for the first time.
Carol - who was comforted by Fay Ripley, 59, who played Jen in the comedy-drama series - was moved by the scenes because she had been diagnosed with breast cancer herself in 2014.
Carol - who celebrated 10 years of being cancer-free in 2024 - said: "And I'm super-proud of the fact that I was on TV for nearly 20 years before I cracked ... but don't remind me about it because I'll cry!"
The broadcaster appeared on Loose Women on-and-off from 2000 until 2023, and she hated being styled for the show.
She wrote in her Best magazine column in June: "I did Loose Women for almost 20 years and the mandated dress codes used to exhaust me.
"We went from wearing our own clothes to being bought stuff to adhere to ludicrous wardrobe policies like, 'No arms on show,' presumably because our ageing biceps were morphing into bingo wings which the (male) boss at the time had decided were offensive.
"Another female (!) boss once ordered all the women to wear high heels as well.
"I always loathed being 'dressed' or 'styled' as they preferred to call it."
