Jill Halfpenny was left fighting back tears as she bravely opened up on the death of her partner Matt Janes and dad Colin. The actress, known for her roles in EastEnders and winning Strictly Come Dancing in 2014, candidly discussed how she has dealt with grief over the years. Matt died suddenly of a heart attack back in 2017 at the age of 43.
Sadly, the star’s father Colin died in a similar way back in 1979, when Jill was aged four. The mother-of-one appeared on Lorraine Kelly’s breakfast show today explaining she has written a new book to help others facing similar heartbreak. Speaking about her book, Lorraine started by saying: “I read it all in and it is absolutely extraordinary.
It’s obviously your story and you were honest about it but it is also just filled with really good advice. Going back you were just a baby when your dad died." Jill responded: “Yes I was four.
It was in 1979 and we were in the North West of England and my mum was left with three girls to bring up on her own. We just got on with it. “It was kind of thought of back then that if we don’t mention it then it will be easier and if we don’t bring it up it won’t upset people but it’s different now, we talk about things.
” Speaking about how it made her feel at the time, Jill continued: “Most of the book is about how it affected me because grief has to go somewhere, and if we are not talking about it and if I wasn’t able to express it then it became very internalised so I then beca.