Gerry Strange Lottie Ryan 'whips out' life-size cardboard cut-out of late dad Gerry when drinking

Lottie Ryan has revealed that her family keep a life-size cardboard cut-out of their late dad Gerry in their house.

The late broadcaster died of a heart attack in April 2010 and left behind five children: Lottie, Bonnie, Babette, Rex, and Elliot.

Speaking to Jennifer Zamparelli on her 2fm show on Wednesday, Lottie spoke of the unusual way that she and her siblings keep their dad’s spirit alive.

She began by asking Jennifer if it was weird to keep someone’s things after they’ve died, saying: “I’ve got a couple of shirts, because they still have his smell,” with Jennifer responding: “Still? After all these years?”

Lottie said: “Yeah, they still smell like him, isn’t that weird? I have… no I don’t want to admit stuff,” before confessing: “We have a life-size cut-out of my dad that was – he didn’t get it made – it was in his work office, it was a thing for work.

“But we took it when he died and yes, in my home when people have a few drinks the cardboard cut-out comes out.

“It gets whipped out. We have a very dark sense of humour, but that’s how you cope with things.”

The mum-of-one admitted that she couldn’t bring herself to get rid of her dad’s belongings.

“I think they’re good things… I mean I don’t know what is going to happen to them or what we plan on doing with them in the future, but I just couldn’t bring myself to get rid of things like that.”

On Gerry’s anniversary, the 36-year-old opened up about her father’s death and said that she wished he was there to see how her family has grown.

“It’s 11 years today, which is wild to me is wild,” she said.

“Because in so many ways it feels like yesterday, and then in so many ways it does feel like a lifetime ago, because I feel like I haven’t seen him in so long.

“I am a very different person now to the person I was 11 years ago.

“I’d love to meet him now, I’d love to tell him everything that’s happened, I’d love to see what he thinks of where everybody is in life.”