At age 13, Walsh took her first drink, triggering
many years of alcohol abuse that ended with her joining Alcoholics
Anonymous. "Her situation with her family was so painful
to her. She told me one day that somebody in her presence
asked her mom why she had been given to her Aunt May. Mary
said her ears just got really loud and she couldn't hear the
answer. "It was just too scary to know why," says
This Hour Has 22 Minutes co-star Cathy Jones.
Walsh survived a troubled adolescence, a failed teenage marriage
and years of battling personal demons to ultimately emerge
as one of Canada's most successful comedians. Her career began
at age 18 as the big-voiced, quick-minded host of a summer
CBC Radio morning show in Newfoundland. From there it was
a quick progression into live performance, first with the
Newfoundland Travelling Theatre Company and then with CODCO.
Walsh's early years are told through interviews with friends
Cathy Jones (This Hour Has 22 Minutes), Andy Jones (Dooley
Gardens, CODCO) and Robert Joy (Desperately Seeking Susan).
Original Air Date - October 5, 1999
Links
Mary
Walsh: CBC's Open Book
This
Hour Has 22 Minutes
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sites)
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