Brittany Higgins shares her heartache after close family member dies

Brittany Higgins is mourning the passing of her grandmother, just weeks after announcing she was pregnant with her first child.

Mrs Higgins, who now lives in France, announced the heartbreaking news on Instagram on Thursday evening.

“I’m dealing with the loss of the strongest woman I’ve ever known. I love you and miss you already grandma x,” she wrote alongside a series of photos.

The heartfelt message prompted a response from her mother Kelly.

“She loved you and was so proud of you,” she wrote.

“It was so special that she got to celebrate your wedding and be excited about the news of your great grandchild. She was a remarkable woman who taught us truth and strength. I love you, honey.”

Brittany Higgins (pictured with husband David Sharaz) described her late grandmother as the strongest woman she ever knew

Ms Higgins and her new husband David Sharaz made their first public appearance in France earlier this week as her defamation trial against her former boss, Senator Linda Reynolds, began in Perth.

The couple were spotted in Paris as they headed to the Australian Embassy to sign an oath of office after a three-hour train journey.

Ms Higgins, who announced her pregnancy last month, was spotted clutching her baby bump as the couple walked into the Australian Embassy.

She paired a flowing, black-and-white striped maternity dress with Chanel shoes, while her new husband wore a navy Ralph Lauren open-neck shirt.

The couple posted on Instagram about their trip to the city.

“POV (point of view): When your city notary takes a month off and you have to go to the embassy for training to sign affidavits,” Ms. Higgins captioned a video of her husband running to chase away a flock of pigeons.

“Who was more scared, you or the pigeons?” asked Mrs. Higgins.

“Probably me, they’ll be back!”, Mr. Sharaz replied as he walked down the sidewalk.

The couple returned to Australia in June for their wedding, which took place at one of Australia’s most exclusive and elegant wedding venues, The Valley Estate on the Gold Coast.

A month later, they announced that they were expecting their first child.

“We are so excited to welcome a new member to our little family,” Ms. Higgins wrote.

“Your parents are already obsessed with you and you’re not even there yet.”

Brittany Higgins (left) paid a heartfelt tribute to her grandmother (right)

The couple have built a new life in the vast countryside of Lunas, near Bordeaux in the South of France, where they have lived since December last year.

Their decision came five years after Ms Higgins alleged she was raped in Parliament House in 2019 by former parliamentary staffer Bruce Lehrmann.

Mr. Lehrmann has consistently denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to one charge, sexual intercourse without consent, before the trial was adjourned due to juror misconduct.

Earlier this year, Federal District Court Judge Michael Lee ruled that Mr. Lehrmann was convinced under a civil standard (which is different from a criminal standard) that Ms. Higgins had been raped.

The finding follows a lawsuit brought by Mr Lehrmann against Network 10 and journalist Lisa Wilkinson over a report about the alleged rape on the programme The Project in 2021.

Mr Lehrmann is appealing the decision.