HAPPIER TIMES: Sir Bob Geldof with his daughter Peaches.

I  really admire Sir Bob Geldof.

His chaotic - and very often tragic - life has been played out in full view of the glaring eye of the paps and yet he still manages to stay humble and unfazed by his fame and remains a strong family man. When his ex wife Paula Yates died of a heroin overdose in 2000, not long after her partner Michael Hutchence' sudden death in 1997 he applied for - and won - custody of their daughter Tiger Lily so she could have an upbringing with her half sisters in the hope it would help bring her some stability now that she faced a future without her parents. He wanted to shield her from the rock n' roll lifestyle to which both her parents had succumbed and give her a normal family life.

He could have felt bitter, maybe he did? After all Hutchence and Yates had had an affair while she was still married to Geldof and gave birth to Tiger Lily just two months after their divorce was finalised in 1996. If he did feel bitter he kept those feelings aside and selflessly put the well being of Tiger first. Now 17 and free to live where or with whom she chooses, Tiger still resides with the Geldof's - proof that Sir Bob and his partner Jeanne have done a great job.

This year however, he undoubtedly faced his toughest life challenge yet in suddenly losing his 25 year old daughter Peaches, apparently in the same way that she lost her mother. There was a time in Peaches young life where she seemed destined to become another celebrity victim of heroin but in recent years she appeared to have embraced the domestic and quiet lifestyle and being a doting mum to her two young boys, which is what made her death  - and the apparent cause - even more shocking and sad. Whatever the reasons behind her drug use, we have to remember that Geldof has lost his daughter, something that no parent should ever have to experience but sadly something that does happen and for the first time, he has spoken about his grief.

On Friday 4th July, Geldof spoke to Lorraine Kelly on her morning television show and spoke humbly of his grief at losing his daughter. Words that will resonate with so many.

"The default position for me as a person is, 'Right, things have to be organised,' and I go into organisation mode and that distracts me. But like anybody else, these things assault you without warning," he said.

"If I may - and I don't want this to be a blub fest and I don't want to be emoting on television or getting too much into it - but you can imagine it, it is unimaginable at the same time, but let me just say we were overwhelmed by people writing to us in the kindest way," he said. "The nice thing about that was that this young girl had made such an impact on her generation."

It must be such a comfort to know his child has made such an impact on peoples lives - probably without her realising and now ever knowing it.

He also went on to say that he hopes Peaches' sons Astala and Phaedra grow up away from the Geldof 'Soap Opera':.