MAY 2019| The Australian Women’s Weekly 85
True romance
ATALEOF LOVE
AGAINSTTHEODDS
Taryn
& Jud
“Holyhell,lookat thatguy,”was
TarynFiebig’sunpromptedthought
afterfirstclappingeyesonseasoned
singerJudArthurin 2004.“Heis
striking.Butofcourse,I knewhe
wasmarriedandhadtwolittlekids.”
Still,thepair– thenbothprincipals
withOperaAustralia– struckupa
friendship.Andlater– afterJud’s
marriagetothemotherofhis
daughters,LuciaandMilijana,now
16 and13,brokedown– hewould
spenda solidyeartryingtowoothe
womanhewasequallytakenwith
at firstsight.“Weeventuallygot
togetherin 2011andwe’vebeen
togethereversince,”hesmiles,
addingthattheir 2015 weddingwas
a “lovely,happyday”.
Sofar,sofairytalelovestory.Now
enterthewickedvillaintothreaten
theireternalhappiness.
InDecember2017,Taryn,who
hadalreadysuccessfullyfoughtand
wona battlewithbreastcancer,
wasn’tfeelingwellduringa family
triptoEurope.“JudandI werestill
tryingforchildrenwithIVFand
I thoughtmaybeit wasthedrugs
becauseI wentfromhavinga flat
stomachtolookingfivemonths
pregnantin justtwodays,”she
recalls.A triptothegynaecologist
confirmedtheworst:“Ihadstage
threeserouscarcinomaandit wasin myuterus,ovary,
appendix,peritoneum.”Anoperationandfourroundsof
chemofollowedandherCA 125 cancermarkerretreatedto
normallevels.Sadly,thatwouldn’tlastandnow,despite
feelingwellenoughtoperformonstage,Taryn,47,hashad
toresumea newtypeofchemotherapyin thehopedoctors
canoperateontwotumourstheyfoundbehindherbladder.
“I’mfortunatemyvoicehasn’tbeenaffected– if
anything,it’sbetterthanever,”shesays.
Jud,58,tearsupasheadmitsit’sa worryingtimein
their lives. “She’s an incredible person, a wonderful mum
anda wonderfulwife,”hesaysaftertakinga momentto
composehimself.
“Judis anunwaveringhumanbeing,he’samazing,”says
Tarynofthemanwhohasstoodbyhersidethrough
doctors’appointments,tearsandpain.“Ithinkit’sharder
forhim.Hesayshe’ddoit formeif hecould,andI know
hewould.Weloveeachothermorethanwe ever have –
butI wouldn’tsayit’sbeeneasy.”AW WCosìfantuttedebuts at the Arts Centre Melbourne
on May 14.