‘Is Daddy going to HEAVEN?'

When Gemma Lyon’s partner Alex got some devastating news, she thought she’d never cope. But her girls are helping her to carry on

- CLARE SWATMAN

Every evening, my five-year-old daughter Florence huddles up to read a story to her daddy. Although it makes me happy seeing them together, it also breaks my heart a little, because it should be Alex reading to Florence, not the other way round. But, among so many other things, it’s something he just can’t do any more.

Eight months ago, in January, the Alex I knew and loved changed forever, and the perfect life I’d felt so lucky to have was suddenly snatched away from me.

Alex and I met just before Christmas 2010. Although he was three years younger than me, with his cheeky and flirtatious personality, we quickly fell in love. He adored my daughter from a previous relationship, Bella, who was just three, and she loved him, too. He threw himself into being the best stepdad he could be and, within a few months, we found a flat together.

As Bella grew, they became even closer. They loved watching football together – especially Alex’s beloved Leicester City, and had silly in-jokes that I wasn’t part of. I was thrilled that they had such an unbreakable bond.

In 2015, I fell pregnant. Alex was so excited for our new arrival, and when Florence was born in 2016 we were a happy family of four. For the next few years, life was blissfully perfect.

Then, in February 2019, we received devastating news. Alex’s mum Sandra had been diagnosed with a brain tumour. She had emergency surgery, but three months later, she passed away. We were all in shock – it had happened so fast, we’d barely had time to prepare. But, while we were reeling, worse news was to come.