In this special 5th anniversary episode of Stolen Goodbyes, Karen speaks with five incredible guests—Emma, Jane, Kristie, Sioux, and Brielle—about their ongoing journeys with COVID-19 grief. Each guest shares the heartbreaking details of losing their loved ones to the pandemic, including the pain of not being able to say goodbye, the trauma of key dates, and the overwhelming challenges of grief. They discuss the unspoken struggles of living through a time when the world moved on, while their gri...
Mar 24, 2025•55 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Five years after launching Stolen Goodbyes, host Karen Rice reflects on the podcast’s journey in a special anniversary interview with her cousin Samantha. She shares the inspiration behind the series, the impact of giving a voice to the bereaved, and what she’s learned along the way. Plus, a look ahead to the next episode, where six past guests reveal what COVID grief is really like now—how it’s been forgotten by the world, yet remains deeply complex, raw, and unresolved. A must-listen for anyon...
Mar 18, 2025•21 min•Season 5Ep. 1
In this final episode of Love After Covid Loss , part of the Stolen Goodbyes podcast series, Emma Charlesworth returns to the show. Emma first opened the podcast in 2020, sharing her journey as a widow at just 39 after losing her husband, Charlie, to Covid-19. Charlie was only 45 when he passed. In this poignant and articulate interview, Emma reflects on her journey, from those first anguished, shocking days when Charlie left in an ambulance with a cough and never came home to navigating life as...
Dec 24, 2024•47 min•Season 4Ep. 9
In this emotional yet uplifting episode of Stolen Goodbyes , host Karen Rice speaks with Rebecca Reilly from New Jersey, who shares her remarkable journey of love, loss, and finding hope again after unimaginable tragedy. Rebecca lost her “rough tough cream puff” husband Michael, a devoted father of two, to COVID-19, in December 2020. Just 47 years old, Michael fell ill and tragically passed away within 24 hours of showing symptoms. Rebecca opens up about the overwhelming grief of losing her best...
Dec 17, 2024•51 min•Season 4Ep. 8
In this tender and bittersweet episode of Stolen Goodbyes , Karen Rice speaks with Victoria Daniels, 25, from Hertfordshire, about her cherished memories of her late father, David, a jack the lad and an animal-loving man, who tragically died from COVID-19 on January 2, 2021, at the age of just 69. Although her father suffered two strokes and dementia before the pandemic, Victoria’s words reveal the enduring bond between them. She recalls David’s protective and caring nature, likening him to his ...
Dec 10, 2024•32 min•Season 4Ep. 7
In this moving episode, Amanda Pape shares how her life was once "Technicolor" with laughter, love, and adventure, alongside her larger-than-life husband Bob. But after his sudden death from Covid, age 53, life became like a "12-inch black-and-white TV"—a stark, difficult existence. Through fostering two children, Amanda has brought color back into her world, rebuilding a new, joyful family. Amanda also reflects on Bob's enduring philosophy: "Happiness is wanting what you get, not getting what y...
Dec 03, 2024•59 min•Season 4Ep. 6
In this heartfelt episode, we hear from Kristie Cervantes, a 45-year-old teacher from Illinois, USA, as she recounts her journey through unimaginable loss and the discovery of love again. Kristie lost her beloved husband, Rey, in December 2020 to COVID-19. Just 42 years old, Rey was a devoted father of two, a special education teacher, and a man with a heart as big as his infectious laugh. He brought joy to everyone around him and lived for the moments he shared with his family, from dad-and-mom...
Nov 26, 2024•55 min•Season 4Ep. 5
The second part of Lynda Wardley’s story on Stolen Goodbyes is an inspiring narrative of love and resilience. After the profound loss of her father, Robin, Lynda found an unexpected connection with Charles Persinger, a fellow campaigner she met through their shared work with COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK. Their relationship blossomed from a shared space of grief and activism, turning into a beautiful partnership built on mutual respect and understanding. Lynda shares how she was init...
Nov 19, 2024•23 min•Season 4Ep. 4
In this touching two-parter, we meet Lynda Wardley, a compassionate woman with a powerful story of love, loss, and resilience. Lynda, 59, opens up about her vibrant father, Robin, whom she lost to Covid in January 2021. In this first episode, she paints a vivid portrait of Robin, a meticulous maker and car enthusiast whose life was full of colour, intelligence, and energy. Lynda’s childhood memories brim with moments by her dad’s side—perched on the hood of a car he was repairing, or packing a c...
Nov 12, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 3
In this moving episode, we sit down with Charles Persinger, 59, from Swindon, who shares his powerful journey through loss, resilience, and rediscovery of love. Charles opens up about the unimaginable heartbreak of losing his mother, Susan (74), and his wife, Katie (51), both to Covid, within just six weeks of each other. He describes the depths of grief he faced, losing the two most important women in his life, and how he eventually made a choice that changed everything: to choose love over fea...
Nov 05, 2024•28 min•Season 4Ep. 2
In the opening episode of this new series of Stolen Goodbyes, entitled Love After Covid Loss, we sit down with grief coach and nervous system practitioner Kayleigh O’Connor (@goodgrief_uk) for a profound conversation on navigating life and new beginnings after a Covid-related loss. Episode highlights include: Grief’s Impact on Safety and Identity: Kayleigh explains how grief shakes a person’s sense of safety and self, leaving many wondering who they are without their loved one. Rebuilding Safety...
Oct 29, 2024•49 min•Season 4Ep. 1
In this powerful interview, Danielle Barnett charts the life of her wonderfully resilient dad Chris Riley, who despite the most challenging and heartbreaking circumstances, worked six days a week to give his daughters a loving home and a happy, memorable childhood. Widowed without warning and with four daughters to raise under the age of eight, Chris kept the family together despite the best efforts of social services. But when the pandemic broke years later, being self-employed and with no help...
May 30, 2023•59 min•Season 3Ep. 13
If Boris Johnson had locked down earlier, Peter Owen would still be alive today, this is the firm belief of his daughter Becky. Instead, this beloved father and grandfather caught Covid 19 shopping in Sainsbury’s on March 19, three days before Johnson belatedly put the country into lockdown. Becky vividly describes the void left behind by the death of her father, a proud Welshman from Aberystwyth who “always made time for people.” Equally as powerful is her description of the surreality of his d...
May 23, 2023•44 min•Season 3Ep. 12
In a beautiful and wide-ranging interview, Sam Levy brilliantly articulates how distorted grief is impacting her world three years after the love of her life Pete died in the blink of an eye. “His life ended and nothing happened,” Sam says. “I can say I’m a widow, but I don’t believe what I’m saying, it’s just a word. Knowing and understanding that he’s gone are two different things.” Sam walks us through the colourful and fun life she shared with Pete, a larger-than-life, funny, grumpy, loveabl...
May 16, 2023•42 min•Season 3Ep. 11
As a couple, Anne and David Morrison, 71, did everything together, living life their way, never letting obstacles stand in the way. But their plans to retire to Australia were never realised after David was hospitalised with Covid 19 in early 2020. Worried sick about her husband, Anne, who had received the all-clear from cancer a year earlier, died at home from sudden death on April 7. On hearing he’d lost his lifelong partner, David died from a Covid-induced heart attack 10 hours later. In this...
May 09, 2023•38 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Treasured by her family, Anna Gibson may have been 94 but she was still a feisty, independent, and private personality who loved nothing more than being outdoors. But after a fall, Anna was admitted to a care home where her daughter Ruth believes she was denied basic care when the Covid 19 pandemic broke out. In a heartbreaking interview, Ruth explains how she has been left traumatised and haunted by her mother’s treatment and her own subsequent fight for the truth. Miscommunication meant Ruth m...
May 02, 2023•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 9
It may be just over two years since Rab Sherwood lost her beloved parents father Sucha Singh Hothi, 85, and mother Gurdev Kaur Hothi, 75, to Covid 19, but this double loss combined with the manner of the loss and the family’s brutal treatment in hospital still haunts Rab. Emigrants from Punjab in India to the British midlands in 1965, Sucha was forced to work in a factory despite being a qualified lawyer, qualifications not recognised in the UK. These incredibly hard-working, family-orientated a...
Apr 25, 2023•36 min•Season 3Ep. 8
With a career as an RAF engineer, and a vast vinyl collection comprising Vera Lynn to the Sex Pistols, John Leigh may have been an unconventional father but he left behind some unforgettable memories for his daughters. In this episode, Sioux Hill brings her dad’s memory to life through music, a passion they shared from her childhood days through to adulthood. Sioux walks us through their special relationship, the hardship she suffered losing her dad to Covid 19, and the subsequent surreality of ...
Apr 18, 2023•29 min•Season 3Ep. 7
It is a testament to Alastair MacVicar's strength of character, that he is alive and well in the world today, improving the lives of others. In the space of just 14 days, he lost his mother Jean, father Keith, and eldest sister Jayne to Covid 19. Alastair also lost his mother-in-law soon after. Then it was his turn. Covid 19 left him unable to string a sentence together. Alastair feared death. Then came an AstraZeneca vaccination, which left him with blood clots on both lungs. He recovered slowl...
Apr 11, 2023•44 min•Season 3Ep. 6
A singing prison officer, Rachael Lidgett finds solace in song following the loss of her role model dad Chris who she lost to Covid in December 2020. Growing up, her dad was her biggest singing champion, and she treats listeners to a soulful rendition of the songs that mean the most to her now, and how they help her to express her emotions. From his legendary Sunday roast dinners with loads of gravy, Beangate, his work ethic, to him walking into Accident and Emergency in his navy blue dressing g...
Apr 04, 2023•57 min•Season 3Ep. 5
This is an interview with Nikki Williams, a woman who lost her amazing mum Valerie and dad Hefin to Covid 19 within 11 days of each other in early 2020. Nikki was then diagnosed with incurable, secondary breast cancer. With great resilience, Nikki recounts the lovely whirlwind romance her parents enjoyed, how they loved to dance, her Welsh dad’s love of singing, their love of life and family, and their generosity to the many children they fostered, including Sarah who they adopted, and the big r...
Mar 28, 2023•51 min•Season 3Ep. 4
In this inspirational interview, Stella Hill describes how she has gone from the depths of despair and shock after losing her beloved mother Sharon to Covid 19 on Christmas Day in 2020 to a more positive place where she is now focused on continuing things her mother was interested in such as tracing her ancestry. Stella has gone from being consumed by errors made, examining doctor’s notes, and questioning how her mum got Covid, to celebrating her mother’s legacy, her quirky ‘Sharonisms’, wicked ...
Mar 21, 2023•43 min•Season 3Ep. 3
In this special and wide-ranging interview with four grief/trauma experts, we explore how the Covid 19 bereaved community is only beginning to deal with their loss now, three years after the event. This is because many bereaved people felt secure in a lockdown bubble where they didn't have to deal with reality, a reality that saw the catastrophic loss of a loved one without a goodbye, funeral, memorial, or support. Many bereaved people are experiencing what I've called 'distorted grief' because ...
Mar 14, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Season 3Ep. 2
This episode is dedicated to the memory of the loveliest of men - my father Tom Rice. With the help of my cousin Samantha Hamshere, we take listeners on a journey through the extraordinary life of a man with humble beginnings in County Kerry (Ireland) who went on to realise his dreams in London where he transmitted love and laughter, leaving behind an enormous legacy. This latest season of the Stolen Goodbyes podcast unpacks a troubling and as yet unexplored aspect of grief to Covid 19. I’ve cal...
Mar 07, 2023•46 min•Season 3Ep. 1
On this special episode of the Stolen Goodbyes podcast, people who lost their loved ones to Covid 19 in the first wave of the pandemic recount how they have been left traumatised by the exceptional circumstances of their loss. They feel they were not only robbed of a loved one but of everything that goes with a death. Loss to Covid 19 has been described as a grief like no other. That grief, affecting almost six million families across the world, is yet to be unpacked and understood. These amazin...
Feb 24, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 3
On this special episode of the Stolen Goodbyes podcast, people who lost their loved ones to Covid 19 in the first wave of the pandemic give their view on the Partygate revelations surrounding Boris Johnson and his government and Johnson's so-called 'Freedom Day' of 24 February 2020. Johnson is currently refusing to say whether he will resign if he is fined by the police for breaking Covid 19 lockdown laws with a string of parties at Downing Street. Since the party revelations emerged, Johnson's ...
Feb 24, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In this special episode, people who lost their loved ones to Covid 19 in the first wave of the pandemic recount how Boris Johnson's delayed lockdown in early 2020, has impacted their lives forever. The UK's first confirmed cases were on 31 January 2020 but Johnson waited almost another two months before performing a screeching u-turn to put the country into full lockdown on March 23. This was all too late for the following people: Linsey Simmonds who lost her father Kevin Morans on May 3, Eileen...
Feb 24, 2022•25 min•Season 2Ep. 1
On this episode of the Stolen Goodbyes podcast, Karen talks to Emma Charlesworth in Kent in the UK, and Pamela Addison in New Jersey in the USA, who both lost their husbands to Covid 19 in April 2020. Both of their husbands were in their mid 40s when they died. Despite the distance between them, the women have bonded through a shared sense of loss, support and grief including how both their husbands experienced their first Covid 19 symptoms on the same day, March 22. In this special interview, t...
Mar 02, 2021•50 min•Season 1Ep. 19
On this episode of the Stolen Goodbyes podcast, Karen is joined by Jerri Vance from West Virginia, USA, who lost her husband James to Covid 19 on New Year’s Day 2021. Jerri tells how James spent his life serving others, first in the Marine Corps, and then as a police officer, and was a proud and protective father who always went the extra mile to make his family's lives better. Tragically, Jerri relates how a week after developing a cough, a fit and healthy James had been hospitalised with docto...
Feb 23, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 18
En este episodio del podcast Despedidas Robadas, Karen está acompañada por el guatemalteco Mauro Márquez, quien perdió a su madre Irma, de 72 años, a causa del Covid 19, en Oklahoma, Estados Unidos, el 10 de enero de 2021. En un episodio desgarrador, Mauro cuenta cómo compartían una relación muy estrecha, ya que su madre era sorda y dependía de él para entender el mundo, mientras que ella le ayudaba con su miopía. Trágicamente, Mauro explica cómo esta madre tan generosa no pudo comunicarse con l...
Feb 16, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 17
