"There's a clear line between life before and after the bombings“

Julie Nicholson's daughter was killed in the 7/7 London terror attacks. Here, nearly 20 years on, she shares what she's learnt about grief

- BEX APRIL MAY

Retired university chaplain Julie Nicholson, from the Cotswolds, lost her daughter Jenny in the 7/7 London bombings, which took the lives of 52 people and injured almost 800.

With the story of the suicide attacks and the aftermath now being retold as part of a new BBC documentary, Julie opens up about the day her world changed forever...

Before 7 July 2005, my life was simple-filled with books, music and daily family life.

I was a mother to three children: Jenny, Lizzie and Thomas. At 24, Jenny had just completed her Master's in music and was working at a music publishing company in London. She loved Shakespeare, Jane Austen, music and the theatre. She was on the cusp of her life and career.

Jenny commuted daily from her home in Reading, where she lived with her boyfriend, into London for work. She was enjoying life, living a very normal one for a woman her age.

I remember the morning of the bombings clearly. It feels like it could've happened yesterday and, in another way, it feels like she's been gone for such a long time. I had taken my parents to visit family in North Wales. It was supposed to be a peaceful day out. Lizzie, my middle daughter, very quickly alerted me to what was going on in London and said she couldn't get hold of Jenny.

At first, I dismissed it, but Lizzie was convinced something was wrong. I quickly became engaged. Our day out didn't happen.

We just had the television and radio on, and I was determined to find out where Jenny was - and, hopefully, to discover that she was safe and well.

Sadly, that proved not to be the case.