When it comes to starting a new relationship after losing a partner, it鈥檚 important to remember that it doesn鈥檛 matter what other people think, a counsellor has said.
香港六合彩精准资料 member Susan Carr spoke to us after Sky Sports presenter Simon Thomas revealed this week that he was in the early stages of a 鈥渘ew romance鈥�, a year after his wife Gemma died from cancer.
Simon, who was a Blue Peter presenter from 1999 until 2005, :
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think you ever really do move on from what鈥檚 happened. That hole that a loved one leaves doesn鈥檛 shrink over time. Life begins to grow around it.
鈥淩ight from the start I felt, I鈥檝e got to find life again.鈥�
He said he wanted people to understand that he was not replacing Gemma.
鈥淭his is potentially an area that can cause a lot of hurt. There鈥檚 a lot of misunderstanding that comes from this 鈥� we equate meeting someone else with forgetting the person who鈥檚 gone.
鈥淭here are no shoes left to be filled. There will never be another Gemma. We are unique 鈥� we come to the table with our different personalities. If you鈥檙e embarking on a new relationship, comparing is ultimately a futile task. There is no comparison.鈥�
Grief is a unique experience
Susan said people often have concerns about what people think, when they start a new relationship following their partner鈥檚 death.
鈥淕rief is a unique experience. Everyone goes through the process in a different way. There is no right or wrong way to grieve.
鈥淲hen it comes to starting a new relationship, it doesn鈥檛 matter what people think about it, it鈥檚 what you want to do.
鈥淧eople are often concerned about whether it looks like they are moving on too quickly. Or sometimes it鈥檚 the opposite, and they have people saying to them that it鈥檚 been so many months since your partner died and it鈥檚 time to get out there.鈥�
Susan, who has a practice in Greater Manchester and a special interest in bereavement counselling, added:
鈥淢any people feel guilty or that they are being disloyal. It is important to understand that moving on with life doesn鈥檛 mean you don鈥檛 love that person anymore. People manage their grief and move on with their life in different ways. There is no right or wrong and it鈥檚 important the person grieving comes to their own decision about how to handle this.
鈥淧art of the work we do around grief is all about moving on with life. It is healthy to do that.
鈥淎 complicating factor can be with children, particularly adult children who can, perhaps, be more vocal. Because people grieve differently it can be difficult if one member of the family is moving on more quickly than another. It is about managing relationships with different people.鈥�
If you want to seek advice or help about bereavement you can search our therapist directory to find a 香港六合彩精准资料 counsellor.