Catherine Keyl (78) is one of the oldest people on television. She is even two years older than Johan Derksen. How long can we see her in person? “It’s coming close.”
The life expectancy for men in our country is 80 years old and for women 83 years. For large TV regards such as Johan Derksen and Catherine Keyl, the end is anxiously close. And with that vulnerability, they are all too often silent, she confesses in conversation with the Weekend. Especially now that her own sister Marjolijn has died.
Sister passed
Catherine’s sister died four weeks ago. She was incurably ill, so it didn’t come unexpectedly. “No. Fortunately, I was able to close many things with my sister. We had conversations about what was bothering us together and we all spoken. That is nice.”
Her parents and other sister died before. “But I still have my cousin and niece, and their children. I just come from that, so that’s very nice.”
Turn
Catherine also feels not much time anymore. “Well, I realize that I am not twenty anymore. And if you see who died lately: Dieuwertje Blok, Manuëla Kemp, Jonnie Boer, a lot of colleagues who were a sound technician, cameramen, exposures …”
“All people who are also twenty years younger than me. I think: it will be my turn tomorrow.”
Eighty
Catherine wonders if she is still alive at the end of next year. “In a year I will be eighty yes, if I get that. You can’t imagine that!”
There is nothing yet that points to her end of life. “No, but of course that can happen every moment. You also saw that with my sister: From one moment to the next it was just ready.”
Not on TV
Do TV makers feel the hurry? We hardly see Catherine on TV lately. “Somehow I am always asked at times – and then again for a while. That is pretty strange, I don’t understand that so well.”
“I would like to do it a bit more regularly, but also not every week.”