British actress Jill Halfpenny opened up about her personal life and dealing with the loss of her partner today (July 4) on Lorraine.
The Coronation Street star appeared on the popular talk show to promote her new book.
However, the conversation took a poignant turn as she recounted a “disturbing” conversation with her late partner Matt Janes before his death.
Jill Halfpenny lost partner Matt seven years ago
The discussion touched upon how Jill tragically lost her father to a heart attack at the age of four and how, in a hauntingly similar circumstance, she later faced the loss of her partner, Matt Janes, also to a heart attack.
Reflecting on this painful coincidence, Jill said: “It was eerily, eerily similar. He left the house to go to an exercise class and never came home.”
She continued: “I’d learned from losing my dad that I could not sidestep grief. I had to go through this. Grief is so overwhelming and so powerful, and it feels like you’re a newborn baby and the whole world has changed. I just kept telling myself, it’s okay to feel.”
‘He was giving me a sign’
However, it was a specific conversation with Matt that left a chilling impression on Jill, who shared the memory with host Lorraine Kelly.
“One night we were together on the sofa, and he said: ‘If something were to happen to me, I really would love you to go on to meet someone and to love again.’ It was a disturbing conversation because it felt like he knew something,” Jill recounted.
The actress went on to describe her reaction. “I panicked. I’d seen something in his eyes, and my mum had had a similar conversation with my dad just two days before he died. It all felt just too familiar and too real.”
Despite the initial shock and panic, looking back now, Jill can interpret Matt’s words differently. “Matt was giving me a sign,” she concluded.
“He was. He obviously loved you very much, because when somebody loves you they just want the best for you. That’s all they want,” Lorraine echoed.
Jill finds new love
The actress recently opened up about finding love after losing her former partner.
In an interview with Hello, she shared that she was currently dating, and felt comfortable doing so as she had received a ‘sign of approval’ from Matt.
Jill explained that Matt loved the song Budapest by George Ezra. As she was getting ready for her first date, she asked Matt for his permission to date again. As she asked, Budapest came on the radio.
“When things like this happen, it makes me feel connected, as if we’re all in constant conversation with our loved ones who have gone. For me, that energy and the feeling that the soul lives on and is always there to tap into, becomes part of you. That’s comforting for me.” She continued.
The star interpreted it as a sign that Matt was giving her his blessing to move on.
Read more: Jill Halfpenny given a ‘sign’ after asking late partner for permission to date her new man
So what do you think? Tell us on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.