Rachael Bland’s husband says he’s started dating again a year after she died of breast cancer – The Sun

RACHAEL Bland's husband says he's started dating again – a year after she died of breast cancer aged just 40.

Steve told The Sun columnist Deborah James he's open to considering a new relationship if the right person came along.

Speaking on podcast You, Me and The Big C, he said: "You only know about these things if you give them a crack. And if it's not right I'll soon know about it.

"I’ll know very obviously if I'm jumping the gun, I'll know very soon if it’s not the right person.

"I'm only 39. Hopefully I've got 35, 40 years left in me it would be pretty sad to have that on my own wouldn’t it?"

Steve, who is bringing up his and Rachael's five-year-old son Freddie, also revealed that he has been on two dates with the same person – but that he is still very much single.

He added: "There’s nothing to report on the dating front now as we stand, so it obviously didn’t go that well."

Steve made the revelation as he discussed with Deborah the length of time anyone who has lost a partner should leave before starting a new relationship.

And he admitted that there’s no ideal time-frame.

He said: "There’s nothing that will separate a room full of widows and widowers more down the middle than the notion of dating."

And Steve said he is "wary" of what other people might think if he is seen dating someone else, given how much he and Rachael have been in the public eye.

"I'm wary of it in the sense that I know it will probably happen," he said.

"It goes back to that idea that it's everybody's choice whether they want to stay single all their life or meet someone, whatever you want to do it’s your choice."

Rachael was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2016, just eight weeks after celebrating her son's first birthday.

She had months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in 2017 but required more surgery after discovering cancer had spread to her lymph nodes.

Steve's tips on how to deal with grief

In September last year my wife Rachel, the BBC news Presenter died of breast cancer.

Here are a few things I picked up since:

OPEN UP

Don’t be afraid to have tough conversations – in the weeks and months before Rachel died we had plenty about her will, her funeral plans, even things like Freddie’s hair and what clothes he might wear.

By having those it made the decisions I had to make after she died a lot easier and it gave her a lot of comfort as well.

IT’S OK TO FEEL OK

However you feel, that’s ok. The way you feel after someone dies isn’t like anyway you’d imagine you feel. You might feel guilty when you start to laugh or joke or feel happy at some of the memories, and that’s fine. Whether you feel happy or sad, don’t feel guilty, just go with it.

OPEN DOORS

Don’t be afraid to let people in. In the days after Rachel died I had friends get in touch with me and I just ignored their phone calls. But actually some of the good friends of mine insisted on seeing me and almost banged the door down and it was the best thing they could’ve done because once I let them in and once i talked to them it made the whole process easier.

BE YOURSELF & BE HONEST

Be honest with kids. All of sudden I’m a single dad of a little boy with a lot of questions. While I can’t answer them all, the best thing to do is to try and be as honest as possible.

During this time, Rachael documented her fight against the disease in a blog called Big C Little Me.

In May 2018, the Welsh-born journalist announced that her cancer had spread and was incurable.

Shortly before the terminal diagnosis was confirmed, she was participating in a clinical trial of a new treatment.

On September 3, 2018 she revealed she had just "days to live" after doctors told her her breast cancer was incurable.

Rachael passed away two days later surrounded by her family, in the early hours of September 5, 2018.

Earlier this month, Steve praised the "heroic" NHS who helped the couple both clinically and emotionally over the course of Rachael’s treatment.

He said: "I remember the first appointment we had with our breast cancer nurse. She answered every question we asked.

"She could see we were in shock yet she was so reassuring. It can’t be easy doing that job but she was brilliant."

The new series of You, Me and The Big C is available on BBC Sounds here:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p07pj9b2

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