Presenter Simon Thomas has opened up about beginning a new relationship a year after the tragic death of his wife. Simon, who has eight-year-old son Ethan with his late wife Gemma, spoke out in an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live about his fledgling romance a year after Gemma's death.
The 45-year-old, who has been honest and open about his grief over the past 12 months, confessed that he was in the "early stages" of a new relationship, and that it had been an "incredible support".
He revealed to Anna Foster that she was someone he hadn't known before Gemma's death, and that he's "got to know her" over the past few months. Keeping her identity a secret, he said, "Right from the early stages – she had this empathy towards me. She’s Christian as well and that’s important to me as a man of faith."
Admitting that neither of them had "expected" romance to blossom, Simon said, "She’s been an incredible support for me. She was the only person who would always pick up the phone. What I saw in her, I saw in Gemma - she has compassion. When she said my phone is always on, she meant it."
Simon went on to say that although he "struggled" with the phrase "moving on", he was "getting there." He said, "I don’t think you ever really do move on from what’s happened. That hole that a loved one leaves doesn’t shrink over time. Life begins to grow around it. You begin to deal with some of the challenges grief throws up."
This comes after Simon shared a heartbreaking tribute to Gemma a year after her death. Taking to Instagram, the presenter shared a word image which read, 'Hello November', adding the caption, 'The month I’ve been dreading for so long is finally here. A time of the year I used to love is now ladened with memories I wish I didn’t have. I’d do anything to fast forward to 2019.'
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