Leah Bracknell’s widower Jez Hughes posts a moving tribute to the late Emmerdale star

Leah Bracknell’s widower Jez Hughes has paid a moving tribute to the late Emmerdale star three years after her death on Thursday.

Jez, was married to the actress best known for playing Zoe Tate until her death from lung cancer at age 55 in September 2019.

On Facebook, he shared a throwback photo of them both reflecting on their time together and his grief.

Jez wrote: “Three years tomorrow. I will teach in the woods and sweat what seems appropriate. I found this old blurry photo from back in the day and it brought back good, if painful, memories.

“Sorrow is like an eagle, it soars so high and close to the sun you think it’s gone, then suddenly it falls on you, talons that tear you to shreds until you’re bloodied and bruised all over again, raw flesh exposed to the wind .

But as we know, grief is the price of love, and even in this world of late-stage capitalism there are no discounts, no deals, it’s as elusive as death itself.’

Reminder: Jez, was married to the actress best known for playing Zoe Tate until her death from lung cancer at age 55 in September 2019 (Leah pictured in 2017)

He continued: ‘Time changes everything, but at the same time nothing, because sorrow knows no time, it works according to its own inner workings, dances to its own mysterious tune.

‘And it’s both awe-inspiring and horrific, sensitizing the already sensitive, tearing away the wafer-thin shields you laughed out about were grafted onto. Until you feel it all again.

“Yet, in spite of all this, I pay the ferryman, the gatekeeper of all love and all loss, and will pay this again and again, and many lives.”

Memories: He took to Facebook and shared a throwback photo of them both reflecting on their time together and his grief

Jez concluded, “With reluctance and gratitude at the same time. For it is always a price worth paying, for the rain turns to sunshine again and the world is renewed.

“Ali, you died on the same full moon as the Queen, which I know makes you smile. That Pisces ocean that takes you to another world where I know, deep in my heart, you’re floating and tearing again a new adventure. And this makes my heart sing, a balm for all these earthly sorrows.’

Leah, who has also had roles in A Touch of Frost, The Royal Today and DCI Banks, was diagnosed in September 2016 after rapid weight gain around her abdomen and shortness of breath prompted her to seek medical attention.

While undergoing treatment, the media personality married her long-term partner Jez in a peaceful ceremony in a Grade II listed Georgian building in Horsham, West Sussex.

Star: Leah, who also had roles in A Touch of Frost, The Royal Today and DCI Banks, was diagnosed in September 2016 (pictured on Emmerdale in 2005)

Before her death, Leah described how she had an “attitude of gratitude” during her battle with cancer.

She often spoke about her cancer treatment and shared her experiences in a blog and through interviews.

In the months leading up to her death, she wrote “The Cancer Rebel’s Manifesto for Life” to “reject the idea of ​​victimization.”

In it she said: ‘I rebel against the fear of cancer, against pity of others and myself, against being defined by cancer and against being bullied by cancer.’

In her last interview in August 2019, she said she “wouldn’t let herself live in fear”, adding that she would “just have a good life”.

Husband and wife: While undergoing treatment, the media personality married her long-term partner Jez in a peaceful ceremony in a Grade II listed Georgian building in Horsham, West Sussex