‘Life isn’t perfect, but I’m happy’: Jill Halfpenny reflects on finding love again after years of ‘pain and tears’ following the devastating sudden deaths of her father and her partner

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Jill Halfpenny has spoken about rediscovering love after a difficult period of grief, following the unexpected loss of both her partner and father.

Ian McAllister, a 48-year-old marketing executive, has helped bring happiness back into the life of the former Strictly winner after she tragically lost her partner, Matt Janes, to a heart attack in 2017.

She had experienced loss before. Her father, Colin, passed away from a heart attack while playing soccer when she was just four years old.

The 50-year-old actress shared in her 2024 memoir, A Life Reimagined, that she began a new romantic relationship with Ian in 2023.

She recently told The Mirror that she’s feeling happy and settled in her new relationship, especially after everything she’s been through.

After years of hardship and sadness, it feels incredible to be feeling good today.

Life has its ups and downs, and I’m content with where I am now. It’s unpredictable, and I’ve experienced some significant losses, including my dad and my partner. While it’s natural to hope for a long life, it doesn’t happen for everyone.

It’s not about thinking things are alright, but getting upset or wanting things to change doesn’t help me feel better. The only thing that brings me peace is accepting things as they are.

In her memoir, A Life Reimagined, she wrote about dealing with loss, explaining that she wanted to confront her sadness rather than avoid it.

Jill pointed out that people generally don’t discuss enough the inevitable loss of loved ones.

Jill recently shared that the unexpected loss of her partner, Matt, was the most difficult experience of her life.

Jill described her grief after Matt’s death as overwhelming, explaining it often left her feeling incredibly lonely because people don’t often talk openly about loss.

She explained that Matt’s death brought up unresolved emotions about her own father’s passing, feelings she’d never fully dealt with as a child. She realized she needed to be patient with herself as she grieved.

It was absolutely heartbreaking to learn about Matt’s passing. Jill shared with me that she first became worried when he didn’t come home after his workout. She immediately rushed to the gym, and sadly, found him unresponsive. Despite their best efforts, they couldn’t revive him. It’s a truly devastating story, and my heart goes out to everyone affected.

It’s completely understandable that people focus on how challenging this is – and it truly is incredibly difficult. It’s been the hardest experience of my life, without a doubt. But I think we don’t often talk about how it can actually build your strength and resilience.

Jill, speaking to Yahoo UK’s Unapologetically series about her experience with grief, explained it like this: ‘Grief can feel like a huge, overwhelming weight that takes up all of your space and energy, leaving no room for anything else.’

It’s easy to feel like overwhelming emotions will last forever, taking over everything you experience. But as we heal, share our feelings, and connect with others, those intense feelings start to lessen their grip, creating more space around the pain.

It’s not that the challenge itself gets easier, but rather that you create more room for yourself to maneuver around it. Small improvements build up, and at the end of the day, you start to feel a sense of hope that things will work out.

Jill had mentioned in a touching conversation with Matt before he passed away that he’d given her the okay to start dating again.

In a 2024 interview on Lorraine, she recalled a conversation where he told her, ‘If I ever died, I’d want you to find someone else and be happy.’

The conversation was unsettling. He spoke with a sense of urgency and directness, and something in his expression frightened me, causing me to panic.

My parents had a nearly identical conversation with my dad just two days before he passed away, so it felt strangely familiar, and I got really panicked.

Looking back on it now, she realized he might have been trying to tell her something during their conversation.

Jill was married to actor Craig Conway from 2007 to 2010, and they have a 17-year-old son named Henry.

She found love again with boyfriend Ian, who has been her ‘cheerleader’ as she processes her grief.

‘It sounds so cheesy, but I think Ian and I met at the perfect time,’ she has previously said.

Losing Matt made me think I’d never find love again, but Ian has been incredibly supportive, and I know I’ve found someone who loves me as much as I love them.

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2026-01-14 12:49