SIMON Thomas has opened up on wife Derrina’s struggles with “guilt” over the special anniversaries surrounding his late wife.
The Sky Sports presenter, 49, lost first wife Gemma, mum to his son Ethan, in November 2017, just three days after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.
Gemma sadly died when she was 40 years old, with their child aged eight.
At the time, Simon announced that he would be taking a break from his job at Sky Sports to spend more time with him.
Now opening up on the family’s milestone moments, he spoke of the emotional battles of Derrina, who he married last July.
Simon referred to his spouse as he told Kate Ferdinand‘s Blended podcast: “I think sometimes you struggle a little bit with guilt, in particular around anniversaries.
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“I’m very comfortable with anniversaries as in I don’t overthink them.
“I think the first year when you go through loss, those firsts are massive and every first is a hurdle to get over and with time it becomes easier.”
Talking of marking Gemma’s passing, he added: “I think Derrina sometimes feels ‘but we should be doing something’.
“You’ll ask me a few times leading up to an anniversary, ‘What are you going to do? Do you want to do something with Ethan? Does Ethan want to do anything?’
“I think sometimes you feel we should be doing more because of that guilt you feel that maybe we’re not doing enough and I try to reassure Derrina and say ‘it’s fine’.”
He told how Ethan sometimes lets off a balloon to mark his mum’s passing.
Derrina then admitted she feels the guilt and told how she “takes on that and other people’s sadness and loss”.
WEDDING BELLS
Last year, Simon told his following that “love wins” as he shared the unexpected wedding day snap, with fans flocking to share their best wishes.
The couple, who started dating each other in 2018 and fell quickly in love, did not announce an engagement before posting the new wedding snap.
Previously, the former Blue Peter host wrote a sweet tribute to his then-girlfriend Derrina, calling her “incredible” for being “such a joy” in hard times.
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“Yes at times its been really hard; but she has been selfless – dealing with her own struggles of feeling like she’s living in Gemma’s shadow, whilst investing so much time and energy into homeschooling Ethan and being such a joy to be around.”
Simon, who admitted he considered taking his own life after Gemma’s death, has previously thanked his son and Derrina for “keeping him going”.
