Jill Halfpenny says the tragic sudden death of her partner Matt Janes in 2017 finally helped her grieve her father - who also passed away prematurely four decades earlier By Hannah Mcdonald Published: 13:53 EDT, 16 June 2024 | Updated: 14:21 EDT, 16 June 2024 e-mail 19 shares 8 View comments Jill Halfpenny has said that the tragic sudden death of her partner Matt Janes finally helped her grieve her late father . The Byker Grove actress, 48, felt 'cursed' when she lost Matt in 2017 to a fatal heart attack that mirrored her father Colin's death four decades earlier. Colin passed away at the age of 36 after he had a heart attack during a game of five-a-side football.
Jill was just four years old. Jill has now revealed that losing Matt, then aged 43, in the same way forced to confront grieving her father, as she spoke to The Sunday Times Magazine about her new book, A Life Reimagined: My Journey of Hope in the Midst of Loss. Determined not to shut down completely and lead a 'miserable' life from therein on in, Jill vowed that this time she would not 'bury her grief' and set about learning how to mourn Colin.
Jill Halfpenny told The Sunday Times that the tragic sudden death of her partner Matt Janes finally helped her grieve her late father The former EastEnders actress, 48, felt 'cursed' when she lost Matt in 2017 to a fatal heart attack that mirrored her father Colin's death four decades earlier (Jill and Matt pictured in 2016) Jill recalled the day Matt died, how she was woken .
