Simon Thomas tragically lost his wife Gemma to cancer in November last year, leaving him and his son Ethan, eight, devastated. The Blue Peter presenter has been documenting their grief on social media, and has now revealed that his wife's watch stopped ticking at 17.45, the exact time she passed away. Posting a photo of her watch on his Instagram account, Simon told his followers: "Well this is genuinely a bit disconcerting. I’ve just been sorting a few things in our bedroom and came across Gemma’s watch. It’s stopped at the time she passed away that Friday. My world felt like it stopped for a while that day."
Simon Thomas said his wife's watch stopped ticking at the time she died
The Sky Sports presenter's tragic story has touched a lot of people, and many of whom have reached out to the dad-of-one with kind gestures, including leaving money behind the till in his local coffee shop for him and Ethan to have a treat. A man called Dan Ritchie even took the time to write Simon a daily snack note to open each day, which were inspired by Simon's own notes to his son Ethan. Dan then invited Simon and Ethan to spend Mother's Day weekend with him and his family, knowing that the day would be painful for them without Gemma.
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Simon's late with Gemma with their son Ethan
To make sure that Ethan felt special on the day, Dan's family had touchingly made the Sunday 'Ethan's Day', complete with gifts and cards for the little boy. Simon told his Instagram followers about the family's generosity, sharing a picture of a smiling Ethan surrounded by presents and a sign reading 'Happy Ethan's Day'. "Despite a sleepless night of sickness and the other stuff coming out Ethan’s able to smile on this hardest of days. Dan Ritchie and his family have been unbelievably generous and loving. We hadn’t met them 48hrs ago - we already feel like we’ve known them years. They and our lovely friends have been so kind and helped make this #ethansday," he wrote besides the photo.
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Heartbroken Simon announced the death of his 40-year-old wife on 25 November. "Today I am crushed with indescribable pain," Simon told his followers. "Just three days after falling ill with Acute Myloid Leukaemia, my dear wife Gemma passed away yesterday evening surrounded by her family and friends." He added: "If you are a prayer – pray for my boy Ethan. 8 yrs, precious and in bits. Thank you."