BBC racing commentator John Hunt has urged people to “make the most of every day” after his wife and two of his daughters were killed in a crossbow attack.
Carol Hunt, 61, Hannah Hunt, 28, and Louise Hunt, 25, were fatally injured at their home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, last Tuesday.
Kyle Clifford, 26, from Enfield, north London, was arrested on Thursday evening on suspicion of three counts of murder.
Police have not yet been able to speak to him because he remains in a serious condition in hospital after stabbing himself in the chest.
Fellow commentator Matt Chapman said he had been in frequent contact with the “very talented” Mr Hunt following last week’s events.
“He told me: ‘Matty, the message I would tell everyone is you never know when it’s going to be the last day you see your family’,” Mr Chapman said.
“The message was very clear: make the most of every day because you just don’t know.”
Mr Chapman said money raised from a fundraiser set up after the attack would support Mr Hunt’s surviving daughter, Amy.
More than £43,000 has been collected since the fundraiser was launched, along with hundreds of messages of support.
“Family means more to some than others and for John, his family unit was something he absolutely adored,” Mr Chapman said.
In a statement released on Saturday, Mr Hunt and Amy said their devastation "cannot be put into words".
Mr Chapman, an ITV commentator, said Mr Hunt had told him his “biggest desire” was to ensure Amy had “no money worries for the rest of her life”.
“There are a lot of people, including myself, who feel helpless and would like to do something,” he told the BBC.
“John would like nothing more for Amy after these horrific events than a life that is a little less stressful, because life will never be stress-free again.
“It’s not going to take their grief away - it’s not going to take the pain away or change anything - but it might help them have an easier life.”
