On today’s episode of Blended, Kate speaks to Steve Bland, presenter of the BBC Radio 5 Live podcast ‘You, Me & The Big C’. Steve tragically lost his wife Rachael Bland to breast cancer in 2018, leaving him a widow and a single parent to their two-year-old son Freddie. Steve and Kate approached some of the many nuances and challenges from different sides of the same coin: How do you introduce a new parental figure to the children? How do you keep your loved ones' memory alive? And how do you approach trying to integrate into a blended family? As Steve and Rachael knew her diagnosis was terminal, Steve speaks about the confronting conversations required to make the most of the last few months. He also reinforces the importance of remembering that happiness will exist even in the darkest of times. This conversation shows that there aren’t black and white answers to a lot of these questions but Steve’s honesty demonstrates that there can be love, light and family life after death. To become part of the Blended family follow @blended on Instagram.
Hosted by Kate Ferdinand, this podcast is a celebration of blended families - exploring the stories of relationships bound by love, no matter what their circumstances are. Covering subjects such as second marriages, divorce, grief and life after loss, adoption, fostering and (not-so-wicked!) stepmothers, Kate will champion different voices and experiences by speaking with experts, everyday people and celebrities in the public eye.