Hannah Richell on Surviving the Worst Day of Her Life & Finding Love Again

What happens after the worst day of your life?

This week on You're Gonna Want To Hear This, Marie Claire Australia editor Georgie McCourt speaks with bestselling Australian author Hannah Richell, whose powerful new memoir, An Ocean and a Day, revisits the sudden death of her husband, Matt Richell, and the journey that followed. After years of writing acclaimed novels, Hannah is telling her own story for the first time.

In 2014, Matt drowned in a surfing accident at Sydney's Tamarama Beach, leaving Hannah widowed with two young children. For years, she focused on raising her family, continuing her writing career, and rebuilding a life that had been shattered. But privately, she was also documenting the reality of grief as she lived it.

Now, twelve years later, those pages have become An Ocean and a Day. In this deeply personal conversation, Hannah shares why she waited so long to write this memoir, what it was like to revisit the darkest chapter of her life, and how she's learned that moving forward doesn't mean leaving grief (or love) behind.

If you or someone you know needs immediate assistance, call 000. For confidential 24/7 crisis support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit lifeline.org.au. Support is also available through Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or at beyondblue.org.au.

This episode covers:

• The moment two police officers arrived at Hannah's door to tell her Matt had died in a surfing accident
• Breaking the news to her young children and the hardest day of her life
• Writing her first pages of grief just seven days after Matt's death
• Falling in love with Matt after he "stole" her job in London, in the shadow of 9/11
• The isolating, shame-tinged early days of widowhood and single parenthood
• Living with unbearable yearning and rebuilding a sense of normalcy for her kids
• Returning to Tamarama Beach to piece together what happened, and meeting the fisherman who witnessed it
• The freak accident that took Matt's life, explained in full
• What her children have taught her about grief, laughter, and resilience
• Leaving their Sydney home two years on, and her son's words while scattering Matt's ashes: "Daddy, be free"
• Navigating loneliness, dating, and desire again after loss
• Finding new love and remarrying, and blending two families
• Her reflections on acceptance, carrying grief as an honor, and the message she hopes readers take from her memoir: love stays, even after loss

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Credits:

Host Georgie McCourt

Edited by Helen Smith

Head of Vodcasting Rachel Fountain

With thanks to our amazing team at Marie Claire

You're Gonna Want to Hear This is a production of Marie Claire and Are Media.

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