Hannah Richell met Matt in a London publishing office in 2001. He had just walked in and taken the promotion she wanted, wearing jeans and Birkenstocks, and she was determined to hate him. Then September 11 happened, they sat by a canal with coffee the day after, and everything changed. 

Thirteen years later, on a completely ordinary Wednesday in July 2014, Matt went for a morning surf at Tamarama Beach before a meeting. He was 41, the CEO of Hachette Australia, and the father of their six-year-old son and three-year-old daughter. He never came home. 

In this episode of The Australian Women’s Weekly Love Stories, Hannah talks to Tiffany Dunk about the love story that came first, the day the police were standing in her front room, and the twelve years since. She describes grief as falling into a sinkhole. She explains why her very first feeling was shame. She shares what a child psychologist told her the day before she had to tell her children their father had died, advice she still calls a lifesaver. 

She is also, unmistakably, still here. There is a new relationship, a blended family of seven, a candle lit every Christmas Day, and a memoir, An Ocean and a Day, that she describes as a small companion for anyone in the dark. 

If you have ever wondered what to say to someone who is grieving, Hannah has a clear answer, and it is easier than you think. 

• The office rival she was determined to hate, the Birkenstocks that made it worse, and the canal-side coffee the day after September 11 that started it all 
• The proposal that never came on their last European holiday, the 24 hours they spent apart because of it, and the four words that fixed it: “I’m choosing you” 
• “Life would be pretty dull if it stayed just us”: the moment by Sydney Harbour that changed Matt’s mind about children 
• The phone call from Matt’s PA about a Bondi detective, and the run up the hill to a house that looked dark for the first time 
• Why the very first thing Hannah felt was shame, and the question underneath it: had they been too happy, too lucky, too in love? 
• What a child psychologist told her the night before she had to tell a six-year-old and a three-year-old, and why she calls it a lifesaver 
• Why the second year of grief can be harder than the first, and what happens when everyone else’s life goes back to normal 
• The single most useful thing you can do for a grieving person
• Lipstick, Prosecco and a colleague walking into the bar: the guilt of being a 39-year-old widow caught mid-laugh 
• The pub lunch six years later where two strangers cried together, and the blended family of seven she never saw coming

Thank you for listening ❤️ 

Before you go… 

🗣️ Got thoughts? We’d love to hear from you — we’re still growing this podcast and your feedback genuinely shapes it. 

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📚 An Ocean and a Day by Hannah Richell is published by HarperCollins Australia, August 2026. hannahrichell.com

💜 If this episode raises anything for you: Griefline 1300 845 745 | Lifeline 13 11 14 (24 hours) | Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 (24 hours) | Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (24 hours) 

🙏 Sending thanks to our partners at Wounded Heroes Australia, the only national 24/7 crisis service for Australian Defence Force members, veterans and their families. Every donation helps them answer the next call: www.woundedheroes.org.au/actsofservice  

🙏 Special thanks to our partners Vixin — real results, simple skincare that’s a little bit fancy. Australian made, powered by plant stem cell technology. Use the code LOVESTORIES at checkout for 30% off: vixin.com.au 

Credits:

Host: Tiffany Dunk

Edited by Leah Porges

Supervising Producer Leah Porges

Our wonderful The Australian Women’s Weekly team

Head of Vodcasting is Rachel Fountain 

Learn More: The Australian Women's Weekly website