Social media influencer Lorna Luxe has opened up about her struggles after the death of her husband John Andrews, revealing she never had her own bank card and is overwhelmed by household admin.
No Bank Card and Overdue Bills
Lorna, 43, said on Davina McCall's Begin Again podcast that she had to order a bank card on the second day after John's death. She also tried to pay a bill using his app, which failed, leading to an awkward call with the bank. 'And I rang the bank and the man went, "Can I just ask, why are you trying to log into John Andrews's app?" And I was like, "well, I don't have one." And he was like, "well, you need to get your own because you can't do that." I just had to make a lot of phone calls and listen, I'm still sorting things out,' she said.
The couple married in 2009, and John passed away from cancer in February at age 64. Lorna admitted the first week was a 'car crash' as bills piled up, including those related to John. 'It was quite scary. My house is like falling around, there's lots of bills coming in. There's lots of bills related to John as well. That was quite a scary period. I didn't really understand, didn't have a bank card,' she said.
Learning to Cope Bit by Bit
Lorna explained that she had lived independently before marriage but handed over practical tasks to John because she found them boring. 'He quickly recognised that paying bills and doing practical stuff didn't really interest me. I found that quite boring. And he was very happy to do it for me,' she said. Over 16 years, he managed everything, leaving her to focus on her work as an influencer.
In the days before his death, John panicked about her ability to cope. 'The days leading up to his death, the last few conversations we had were about this fear that I was really going to be in the sh*t when he died, because I didn't know how to do anything,' she recalled. Now, Lorna is tackling tasks in 'bite-sized chunks' and learning to handle letters and bills. 'And it's still the same today. And sometimes I get a few letters through the post and I sit there staring at them and then at some point I sit down, right, come on, and they're not as scary as you think they're going to be,' she said.
Grief and Practical Challenges
Lorna's story highlights the often-overlooked practical challenges widows face, especially when they relied on their spouse for financial management. She continues to sort through John's affairs while grieving, but remains determined to adapt. 'Bit by bit, bite-sized chunks each day, I'll open a letter and we'll deal with it,' she said.
