Grieving TV actress Holly Matthews has offered some heartbreaking advice as she and her daughters mark her husband's 33rd birthday without him.
The former Waterloo Road star's partner, Ross Blair, died last summer, three years after being diagnosed with a rare and incurable brain tumour.
He took his last breath aged 32 "as the final whistle was blowing" at the end of the Saturday football, after undergoing end-of-life care in a hospice .
At the time, the couple's girls, Brooke and Texas, were just six and four.
Today, Ross would have celebrated his birthday.
And in a moving post this morning, his brave wife, 33, described how they would have marked the occasion with their daughters if he was still alive.
She also gave advice to others, urging them to "love your people hard", "have tough conversations" and "be ruthless in what you let into your lives".
"Your life is short, we die, so while you are alive, really LIVE," Holly wrote in the post, which was shared on her I am Holly Matthews Facebook page .
Ross, the son of former footballer Andy Blair, died surrounded by his loved ones last July, after being diagnosed with his brain tumour in 2014.
At the time, Holly described her family's feeling of loss as "unfathomable".
She also said breaking the news to Brooke and Texas, now seven and five, was "extremely tough", but they were all "supporting each other".
In her latest Facebook post, she admitted she had had a "little cry" about Ross's 33rd birthday and "how f***ing unfair it is on my beautiful girls".
But she added: "Thankfully there are now way more good days than bad and I choose to focus on our future, whilst talking about Ross daily."
Her full post is as follows:
"Today is Ross' birthday.
"He would have been 33 today and it feels insane that he's not here.
"We wouldn't have done anything special and I'd have likely just got him a card that said, 'Happy Birthday Pal'. He hated adults making too much fuss about their birthdays (saying they needed to 'get out of themselves') and a surprise party would have been his worst nightmare.
"He would have joked that I was the older woman (by 7 months) and how one day he would have to trade me in for a younger model.
"Me and the girls would have done something with paints and stickers and came in early in the morning to wake him up with their pictures and we might have popped out for some lunch somewhere.
"I remember this time last year like it was two minutes ago, yet it feels 100 years ago too. Ross was in hospital, after having had a seizure and we had just got back from Turks and Caicos.
"So much has happened in this last year and we have all changed forever (not all bad).
"I have tried to stay open about everything since Ross began to get sick and in my grief and now a year on from the beginning of Ross' decline there have been many lessons.
"I have had a little cry about this marker and at how f***ing unfair it is on my beautiful girls, but thankfully there are now way more good days than bad and I choose to focus on our future, whilst talking about Ross daily.
"I'm not writing this for pity or sympathy, it just felt like a notable moment and I want you to take nothing more from this than to love your people hard, have tough conversations, be ruthless in what you let into your lives and be brave.
"Your life is short, we die, so while you are alive, really LIVE.
"Happy Birthday Rossy, pal."
Holly, who has appeared in TV programmes such as Doctors, Casualty and Byker Grove, had confirmed the news of Ross's death last year.
She praised the "incredible" staff at Myton Hospice in Coventry, West Midlands.
Speaking to the Coventry Telegraph at the time, the heartbroken actress said: “On Saturday July 29, just as the final whistle was blowing for the end of Saturday football, my incredible husband took his last breath.
“He was surrounded by me, his mum (Dionne Blair), dad (Andy Blair) and sister (Ashley Blair), peacefully and with the support of the incredible Myton Hospice staff."
She added: “The loss we are feeling is unfathomable right now and breaking the news to my daughters was extremely tough, but we are supporting each other and taking it one step at a time.”
Ross had undergone brain surgery and chemotherapy after being diagnosed with a rare grade-4 primitive neuroectodermal tumour (PNET).
He responded well to treatment and his tumour remained stable for two years, with him and Holly able to continue their lives as normal.
The couple made many happy memories with their daughters but in 2016, a scan revealed that the property developer's tumour had grown.
He underwent another second operation, where 75 per cent of the tumour was removed, followed by radiotherapy and a year of chemotherapy tablets.
Again, he responded well.
Last May, the family went abroad for a holiday, where Ross felt good. But just two days after they returned, he suffered a seizure.
After that, Holly said his health rapidly deteriorated.
The dad was taken to hospital, then spent a brief spell at home, before being transferred to the hospice where he died.
“Ross, me and the girls’ lives was filled with many little things, everyday, and Ross knew it was important," Holly later said.
“He loved those girls so much and he was the best dad, he chose to be around them, he adored them. I have lost my best friend."
You can visit Holly's Facebook page here