Doncaster dad’s wife died hours after childbirth aged 33 – now he is helping others through grief

Ric Hart, 39, says he thought about suicide several times in the aftermath of his 'soulmate' Jade's death in July 2018, and had to give up his job to become a full-time single dad to newborn son Hugo.

Ric, from Doncaster, spiralled into his grief until he started writing books about his ordeal. His latest book Growth Through Grief was published on July 8 - the day Hugo was born and five years from his loss.

Ric has now launched a six-episode podcast 'Real With Ric' where he shares his life after the loss of his wife. The first episode was launched Friday 14 July with subsequent new episodes released every two weeks on a Friday. In episode one, Ric shares his life with Jade throughout the nine months' pregnancy and episode 2 moves onto the birth of Hugo.

Ric said: "The podcast brings my story together through audio and closes my writing about grief. At the same time, it creates a new audio platform to keep sharing some massive wins throughout life."

Jade was 33 when she tragically died after giving birth to Hugo, now five, at Bassetlaw Hospital, Worksop. An inquest in June 2022 found "serious errors" had been made.

The inquest heard that Jade's umbilical cord had been "pulled at least four times by a doctor when her placenta had not separated" - which resulted in her uterus being turned inside out. She then suffered multiple cardiac arrests, brain damage and organ failure, with her care described as "truly exceptionally bad" by the coroner.

Ric has spent £30,000 throughout this process of healing for all his books, websites, and now his new podcast. He said: "It's money well spent, growing me and taking a journey of self healing, and out of a very dark place."

All proceeds from Rics new book, Growth Through Grief, are going to Widowed and Young, a charity which supports people aged 51 and below who have been bereaved.Visit www.realwithric.co.uk for more details.