Sad reason why Sunrise host David ‘Kochie’ Koch started wearing red lipstick on air
Sunrise host David ‘Kochie’ Koch wore red lipstick live on Monday to show his support for women’s mental health.
He applied lipstick while interviewing Ironman Jett Kenny about his late sister Jaimi, who passed away in 2020 after years of personal struggle.
Kenny, 29, is an ambassador for Liptember’s Lip-Stick-It campaign.
He explained that the campaign encourages men to wear red lipstick on Thursday, May 11, to raise money for women’s support services.
“If all you need to do is put on red lipstick and start a conversation, then it’s worth it. It’s a big thing, not just for myself but for a lot of people,” said Kenny.
Sunrise host David ‘Kochie’ Koch (left, with Ironman Jett Kenny) wore red lipstick on live Monday to show his support for women’s mental health
“It can happen to a person you work with, someone you know, but they might not talk about it because they don’t feel comfortable.”
Kenny said less than half of women struggling with mental health issues seek help, and this innovative campaign aims to show that it’s okay to speak up.
His world came crashing down in September 2020 when his sister Jaimi passed away at the age of 33 after battling alcoholism and an eating disorder.
While his Olympian mom Lisa Curry often talks about mental health on TV and social media, Kenny usually keeps his struggles private.
Kenny is an ambassador for Liptember’s Lip-Stick-It campaign. The campaign encourages men to wear red lipstick on Thursday, May 11 to raise money for women’s support services
“How I would deal with the grief is different from how Mom handles it. Of course, that’s not something you’d ever want to experience as a parent,” the SAS Australia star said The Daily Telegraph.
Kenny, whose father is athlete Grant Kenny, said he deals with grief by rationalizing his tragic loss as “part of life” and reminding himself “these things happen.”
“Of course we have times when some days are harder than others, especially around birthdays, Easter and Christmas,” he added.
Koch applied lipstick during an interview with the Ironman about his late sister Jaimi Kenny, who passed away in 2020 after years of personal struggle
Kenny also revealed that he honors Jaimi’s memory every day by keeping pictures of her in his bedroom.
The Kenny-Curry family announced Jaimi’s death on social media on September 15, 2020, one day after her passing.
“Our beautiful daughter Jaimi lost her battle with a long illness and passed away peacefully in hospital yesterday morning with her loving family by her side,” Ms Curry wrote at the time.
For free and confidential support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Butterfly Foundation for eating disorder issues at 1800 ED HOPE
The 29-year-old’s world came crashing down in September 2020 when his sister Jaimi passed away at the age of 33 after battling alcoholism and an eating disorder. (The siblings are pictured together)