KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 — After a public rebuke from celebrity chef Datuk Redzuawan Ismail, his Irish son-in-law insisted today that he has fully provided for the family.
In a statement published by Free Malaysia Today, Gavin O’Luanaigh bared his heart over the matter which he had initially wanted to keep private, revealing that his wife Serina has still not come clean over the reason for her requesting a divorce.
“Throughout our married life, I have diligently paid for everything for the family – providing a six-bedroom penthouse, paid all the family bills, maid, holidays and even made sure that both our children went to an international school so they could have the best education that I could provide, which I feel is the greatest gift that a parent can give their child.
“As I was taking care of all the family expenses, Serina was earning a sizeable income, which she kept to do with as she wanted,” O’Luanaigh said.
“I was fine with taking on all the expenses as this is my duty to the family and I am fully aware of my responsibilities as a husband and have provided accordingly,” he added.
His father-in-law, the 59-year-old better known as Chef Wan, had last week shared what he believed to be the main cause for their marriage breaking down: O’Luanaigh’s alleged failure to provide financial support for the family.
O’Luanaigh today revealed that Serina had never asked him for additional pocket money.
“Therefore, I was devastated when Serina decided to move out of the house in January 2016 and asked for a divorce,” he said.
“I didn’t, and still don’t, understand the reasons why she left as she hasn’t told me. However, I hoped that a resolution could be sought and the marriage healed.”
O’Luanaigh also said that their two children, Tristan, 6, and Isabella, 5, have been under his care for the last 15 months.
Serina had earlier dispelled rumours of a third party coming between her and her husband, but declined to elaborate beyond saying it was not easy to cope with a marriage involving two different cultures.
O’Luanaigh and she were reported to have wed on January 1, 2010, after meeting the previous year. The former had already taken the name Salahudin Ghafar after embracing Islam in 2006.
