Partner of late Ghanaian footballer, Christian Atsu, Marie-Claire Rupio has opened up following the passing of the winger six months ago.Atsu tragically died after a devastating earthquake hit the city of Hatay in February, claiming over 50,000 lives in Turkey and Syria.The former Chelsea and Newcastle United winger had three children with his partner before his death.
“For me, it’s very important that his name is still there, especially for the children, that he was known, that he was loved by everybody,” she told the BBC.
“I just hope that his name will never go away.”
Ms Rupio has also revealed that it’s been difficult trying to explain to explain to her younger children that their father is no more while the older one is struggling to open up.
“The older one is the main one who is struggling because he has more memories and he is not really ready to talk about it,” she continued.
“Sometimes are very hard to answer questions from the second one.”
“She asked when her dad is calling,” referring to the youngest, who just turned four.
“You have to be strong. You’re allowed to show emotions, obviously, but you can’t fall down.
“You have to be the rock now for everybody. I do break down a lot of times, so it’s not easy to balance everything.”
