When Julien Lawton’s wife died aged just 38, he was left to bring up his three young children alone. Here, he tells Lydia Chantler-Hicks how he’s managed to be both mum and dad for nine years…
It’s 2012 and Julien Lawton is rummaging in a cupboard, frantically searching for a present to wrap before his seven-year-old son heads off to a party.
Such a conundrum is faced by many a parent – trying to work out where your partner has squirrelled away the birthday cards, gifts and ribbons.
But for Julien it signals something much deeper, as his wife, Sara, has died just days before.
Her death, aged just 38, has left him to single-handedly raise three children below the age of eight.
Wrapping a toy and sending his son off to a party is a small, but significant first step in his life as a single dad.
Twelve years before, he and Sara met by chance at a Maidstone nightclub.
Recalling the encounter this week, Julien, a detective inspector for…
