The grieving husband of a British woman murdered in Australia last Boxing Day has emotionally revealed how he 'went into dad mode' to protect their two teenage daughters and took them to Britain to spend a painful Christmas Down Under prevent.
Lee Lovell, 44, stayed at the Brisbane bungalow where his 41-year-old wife Emma was stabbed by intruders because it is the place where he, Scarlett, 15, and 14-year-old Kassie feel closest to her.
But as December approached, he decided it would be too difficult to celebrate such a family-oriented time of year in the home where they had once shared so many happy memories and instead returned to Britain to stay with friends.
In a heartbreaking interview, Lovell said the aftermath of his beloved wife's death had left him in 'dad mode', focusing entirely on caring for his daughters.
He told the BBC: “The kids, the house, I've tried to be the best parent I can be. It's all up to me. They were 13 and 15 years old at the time. Emma lost her father at the age of 13 and I know how much of an impact that had on her.
'I have to get up, I have to work, I have to take the children to school and put food on the table for them. I have to make sure there is a roof over their heads.
The couple in love when they first arrived in Australia from Britain in 2002. Within ten years, the couple had welcomed two daughters and returned to Australia to call Down Under their permanent home.
The Lovells celebrated Christmas Day 2022 by eating a special meal on the local beach, hours before Emma died
Two 17-year-olds from a nearby shelter have been charged in Ms. Lovell's death
“So I think I've been a bit practical in that regard. I just kind of got on with life. They just come up to me and talk to me about things – their day at school, boy and girl things. You just have to be the best person you can.”
Mr Lovell said he felt his future had been 'robbed', adding: 'Sometimes in life you go through things and you're not so sure about something and you lean on that other person to get you through it to help, and I just don't do that. I don't have that.
'It is also difficult to see couples together, it makes you really angry and jealous.'
The Lovells fell in love when they first arrived in Australia from Britain in 2002 and decided to make it their permanent home.
They celebrated Christmas Day 2022 by eating a special meal at the local beach.
Mr Lovell wrote in a Facebook post at the time: 'So for the first time in eleven years we spent Christmas Day on the beach and even managed to cook some bacon and eggs!'
'I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas day with loved ones and friends.'
Hours after the post – when the family had returned to their bungalow in Northern Lakes, Brisbane – they woke up and found intruders in the hallway.
Mr Lovell had just forced one of the men out of the house when he heard his daughter say 'mummy is bleeding'.
“I remember thinking at the time, 'I can't die, I can't leave the children orphans,'” he recalls.
Mrs Lovell was resuscitated but later died in hospital.
Today her shattered husband said he was finding grieving “difficult” as he struggled to juggle it with the pressures of caring for his children.
He called his late wife “beautiful, wonderful” and said he often burst into tears while driving because of the pain of losing her.
Two 17-year-olds have been charged with murder over Ms Lovell's death.
In August, Mr Lovell revealed he was determined to stay in the house where his wife died because it was full of years of joyful memories.
“I just want to focus on making this house a happy place for us and our family,” Mr Lovell told The Courier Mail.
He said the whole family had slept in the same bedroom for months after the terrifying incident with Scarlett on a mattress on the floor and Kassie where her mother slept.
He said that while he was proud of his strong children, this had also made his wife's absence even more pervasive.
Speaking about his current situation, Mr Lovell said: 'The kids, the house, I've been trying to be the best parent I can be. It's all on me'
Mr Lovell said he felt his future had been 'robbed' since the death of his beloved wife
He added that the mother-of-two “died trying to protect me and our family” and that he missed her “so much.”
'I didn't get used to it, I think it was quite lonely. Just go to bed alone and wake up alone,” he said.
The children had offered to stay, which Lovell said was for his benefit and not theirs, but he conceded that they should go if they felt ready, even if he didn't.
Mr Lovell said he has added extra security since that night, including a new security door at the front of the property, motion sensors and security cameras which he will, even eight months later, vigilantly monitor throughout the night.
The couple were extremely close, married young and had spent more than twenty years together, including moving halfway around the world from Britain to Australia in 2011.
Mr Lovell said it was particularly 'heartbreaking' to lose such an intimate relationship in which both he and Emma had been so happy.
Speaking publicly for the first time since losing her mother in August, Scarlett said her presence would “brighten up” any room she was in and said she found it difficult to remember times when her mother was ever sad .
She especially misses their regular nightly trips to pick up Kassie together.
“I think that's when we really opened up to each other, but also had a lot of fun singing songs and stuff,” Scarlett said.
Mr Lovell had just forced one of the intruders out of the house when he heard his daughter say 'mummy is bleeding'
Shattered neighbors left tributes to their 'beautiful friend' at the North Lakes home
Mr Lovell said the family is adjusting to the loss every day, even though some days are more difficult. His birthday and Mother's Day, just a week apart, were particularly difficult.
Scarlett and Kassie have become closer to their father and have confided in him about boys or teenage things that previously they would only tell their mother.
“Emma was the glue in our family, she was funny, smart, so caring and would do anything for anyone,” Lovell previously told Daily Mail Australia. “She died trying to protect me and our family.”
At the time of the tragedy last Boxing Day, neighbor Julie Balhatchet told Daily Mail Australia her daughters were on the second floor of their home when they saw the commotion developing across the road.
They quickly told their father, who ran across the street to help.
'When my husband drove over, it was dark. He had no idea she was injured,” Ms Balhatchet said. 'She [Mrs Lovell] lay face down on the floor bleeding.'
Mrs Balhatchet said her daughters saw the two alleged perpetrators running from the house after the scuffle in the street.
As her husband and Mr. Lovell worked to save his wife, another neighbor led the two daughters away from the traumatic scene.
Pictured is a map showing the halfway house where the suspects lived and Lovell's home
Mrs Balhatchet was devastated when she later heard Mrs Lovell died in hospital.
“It's just so sad,” she said. 'Those poor girls and her husband. He was very distraught.'
Ms Balhatchet said the random alleged attack had shocked the normally quiet neighbourhood.
'I've lived here for 19 years and nothing like this has ever happened. You think: why her? It could have been any of us on the street.”
Mr Lovell said today that prosecutors had warned him that his wife's case may not go to trial until 2025.
“Sometimes I feel quite guilty for saying it, but I want the process to be completed,” he said. “It's hanging over our heads and I want to move on, but saying that almost feels like I'm leaving Emma behind.”