HE COST MY DAUGHTER HER LIFE

Claire Reynolds, 37, will never forgive the man who stole her little girl

- ASHLEIGH PAGE, SARAH YATES

Settling on the sofa, I watched my daughter, Sharlotte, six, prancing, jumping, kicking and generally showing off. ‘Look Mummy,’ she said, attempting a roly-poly.

‘Amazing!’ I cheered. There was no doubt our Sharlotte loved an audience, and she always had one, whether it was me, her dad Kris, then 32, or her big brother and sister, Paul, 13, and Eva, 10.

She was so funny and cheeky, she suited her nickname, ‘Monkey’. Sharlotte loved to play dress up and was always sneaking into my make-up bag for my lipstick to smear on or begging to have her nails painted.

Now, in June 2021, her new favourite thing was gymnastics. ‘Can I have a proper leotard please, Mummy?’ Sharlotte grinned, looking at me with flushed cheeks.

‘When you’ve been going for two months,’ I promised. I wanted to make sure she could stick to the classes before splashing out on the gear.

Nodding, she went back to practising her forward rolls. Fearless, she was never afraid of anything and gave her all to whatever she tried.

Earlier in the week, she’d been to hospital to get some teeth removed and handled it like a trouper. I decided she needed a treat, so with the older two spending the weekend with their dad, my expartner, I had a friend staying over that night, and I planned a girly night in with Sharlotte – face masks, nail painting, movies and treats – all things she loved.