Liliane Tremblay is 23. Of course she likes Roy Dupuis. Like all women. But she has a grandmother who has adored Roy Dupuis since he was Ovila in Filles de Caleb. Grandma Marguerite Tremblay has bone cancer and is in hospital. She is 63.

Liliane asked Roy if she could speak to him. "He thought that I wanted his autograph". She wanted to bring him to the see her grandmother in hospital, five minutes from the hotel.

"He asked who would be there. I said her daughter. He hesitated a lot. I told him that she had posters of him in her bedroom at home. But he still hesitated. I took this for a polite no and asked him for an autograph for her. He said he was very busy".

After lunch Roy Dupuis came back to see Liliane behind her desk and said "I’ll go at 4:30 this afternoon". Liliane bought a rose and a card. "When Roy Dupuis saw the rose he insisted on paying for it, because he really wanted to bring something himself. He was adamant about that"

They left in a limousine belonging to the production company with producer Louise Gendron and two other members of the entourage. They went up to Mme Marguerite’s room on the second floor by the stairs, so as not to attract the staff. Roy Dupuis and Liliane entered the room alone.

The grandmother had been warned of the arrival of her idol - she was prepared. But when she saw Roy Dupuis enter her room she was in total shock. He stayed 15 minutes. He was warm and charming. He stroked her hands. He kissed her on both cheeks. They talked about Filles de Caleb. Mme Marguerite called to mind the days of horses which she had known.

Little by little nurses had begun to invade the room. Even the doctor came in, saying to Mme Marguerite, "Normally you have to be in great distress to ring for someone".

Roy Dupuis was a bit panicked by the arrival of the medic. He crouched behind the bed. Liliane asked them to leave. That hadn’t been easy.

After Roy Dupuis’ departure Mme Marguerite Tremblay burst into tears. Finally she said to her granddaughter, "My family and then your visitor, these are the most beautiful memories I shall take with me".

Bone cancer is a very taxing illness - it hurts everywhere. To move from the bed to a chair she needs to be raised by a hoist. In the evening she could not eat. The next day she was very low, but on Saturday she had rallied. So much so that the day before yesterday she got a temporary pass from the hospital to go back home where three of her 11 children still live. Her husband died of cancer three years ago.

How did I come to hear this story? My colleague, Réjean Tremblay first told me about it. He is Liliane’s uncle, a Tremblay-Cornette like her. Liliane confirmed that she had not talked about this relationship to Roy Dupuis before they left for the hospital. Is grandmother Marguerite related to Réjean? She is not. She is a Tremblay-Philémon. Liliane’s father is Réjean’s brother. A Cornette too.

Liliane however hesitated to tell me the story. She has been transferred to the Hotel des Gouverneurs in l’île Charron. Montreal is no longer a town she knows. She talked to me because I knew her uncle.