GRIEVING WIDOW: ‘Our world imploded – but life does carry on’
Emma and her husband CharlieCREDITS: SHUTTERSTOCK, MIRRORPIX
Emma Charlesworth, 42, a marketing manager, lives with daughter, Rebekah, 14, in Kent. Her husband, Charlie, was just 45 when he died in April 2020 from Covid 19. Emma says, “Hearing that Derek Draper died was really difficult. I felt so sad for Kate and her children. I know how hard it can be.
“Charlie and I got together on my 18th birthday and married in 2005. We went on to have our daughter, Rebekah. He was my best friend as well as my husband. He was the singer in two local bands and was the life and soul of every party.
“But in March 2020, our happy life was shattered when Charlie caught Covid. We’d heard about the virus on the news, and now we were dealing with it first-hand. Initially, he seemed okay. He had a high temperature but no cough, so when we called 111 for advice, we were told he should isolate at home. But after a week, Charlie had what I thought was a panic attack. I took his temperature but it was coming down.
“A few hours later, in the early hours of my 39th birthday on 30 March, I rang 999 after Charlie had what I thought was another panic attack. They sent an ambulance but I wasn’t allowed to go with him.
“I called for an update a couple of hours later and felt sick as I was told he’d been taken straight to the Intensive Care Unit, sedated and put o
