Father figures
Benjamin Brooks-Dutton with Jackson
‘I became a single (or perhaps sole) parent in November 2012, when my wife was struck and killed by a speeding car. It happened right in front of my then two-year-old son and me. Clearly it has been tough, and this might sound strange, but I have learned to love being a single parent. My son and I have a great bond and we laugh all the time. When my wife died, I found a travel book she’d bought for me for Christmas. At the time, I thought there was no way I would be able to make use of it as the only surviving parent of such a young child. However, six years later, we packed our bags and went travelling all over Italy for the whole summer – just the two of us. It wasn’t until I came home that I realised how much I truly cherish my time with my son – something I’m sure I would take for granted if I wasn’t parenting alone.’
Jon Kyte with Aaron
‘I met my wife Jo in 2005 and we were married in September 2006. By 2009, we had our son Aaron. During Jo’s pregnancy she started to become unwell and as it transpired, she had developed secondary breast cancer in her lungs, liver and bones. Over the next four years, Jo had numerous and almost constant chemotherapy, until we decided in 2013 to
