Making Mother’s Day special can be as simple as a thoughtful gesture, and 99.9 Virgin Radio’s Adam Wylde did just that. This morning in front of a live studio audience on THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW, Adam shocked and surprised his mother, Marilyn Denis, with a beautiful bouquet of her favourite flower, peonies.

Adam Wylde shares what it was like to surprise his mother, along with some of his favourite Mother’s Day moments:

1. What was it like to surprise your mother on The Marilyn Denis Show this morning?
   It was great and a little more complicated than it looked! She thought a major makeover reveal was about to take place. Instead, I'm standing in this huge wooden box, I can't see anything, I can't hear much, and I'm thinking "How am I going know when to bust out of this thing?! "
   One of the floor directors peeked in and said, "I will tap you on the shoulder when it's time to come out," super high tech stuff. But it worked. And what a reaction! Though, I probably could have used that makeover. 

2. Name one of your favourite memories with your mother.

   Playoffs, second round (back when the Toronto Maple Leafs used to make it there) against Pittsburgh in 1999. She somehow snagged tickets, surprised me with them, and after a bit of a freak-out (I was 11) we were on our way.

   The one moment that really stuck out was the Pens' big star Jaromir Jagr slamming the penalty box closed after he was caught in the wrong place, wrong time, and the crowd breaking into "Na-na-na-na, na-na-na na, hey hey hey, goodbye!" and looking over to see my Mom singing it. She's from Pittsburgh, and grew up going to Penguins games... so I knew it was a big deal. Conversion to Leafs Nation complete! (The Leafs won that series, by the way!).

3. What is the best gift you’ve ever given your mom for Mother’s Day?

   I believe her favourite story to tell is the one of when six-year-old Adam was obsessed with history, and was a big Abe Lincoln fan. I drew a picture of two soldiers, one Northern in blue and one Southern in grey, shooting at each other with muskets, and underneath it said "Happy Mother's Day".

4. What advice did your mom pass on to you that has been most helpful?

   Keep your nose clean, and she meant it in the literal and figurative sense. Literally, it meant stay away from drugs. Figuratively, stay away from gossip, drama, and anything else at work that can prevent otherwise talented people from working their way up. 

   She was right. I've seen a lot of people, far more talented than myself, never reach their potential because of just these things... and they're so easy to avoid. 

5. What are three words you would use to describe your mother?

   Empathetic, direct, driven. 

   She has a purpose, she's driven to get there, and has no qualms about (especially in my case) letting you know if you haven't reached expectations you've set out to accomplish together. She is also genuinely able to step outside herself and look at life from someone else's perspective. It's why she's a great interviewer, and why she connects so well with her audience. 

6. How do you normally celebrate your mom on Mother’s Day?

   We usually go for brunch, keep it simple!

7. As this Mother’s Day will be even more special with the growing of your own family, how will you be celebrating this Mother’s Day with your wife Caprice?

   Well..I've already given Caprice her mother's day present (a romper that she had to have a few months ago, but that no longer fits because her belly is too big), but I've got a couple other little surprises, and I think we're going to go out for something to eat. She's in the last month of her pregnancy, and whether she's feeling well enough to do something changes by the day. We'll play it by ear!

THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW airs live weekdays at 10 a.m. ET on CTV, CTV.ca, and CTV Mobile, again at 11 a.m. ET on CTV Two, and on demand at Marilyn.ca (check local listings).