My Mum Your Dad's Roger 'wished he'd been the one to die instead of wife'

ok.co.uk:

Roger Hawes has called ITV show My Mum, Your Dad "free therapy" following the tragic death of his wife Joanna 18 months ago.The 58 year old postman, who appeared on the new dating show along with his daughter Jess, 29, lost his beloved wife of 34 years last year to cancer and despite being reluctant to start dating again, agreed to appear on the ITV show.

He's now opened up about his time on My Mum, Your Dad, admitting he "struggled" at the start of the process as he knew he was there for "different reasons" to all of the other single parents. "At the start I had struggled because I knew that I was in there for different reasons than everyone else.

I was only there because my wife had passed away. If she hadn't, I wouldn't be there!" he told MailOnline. Roger went on to call the show "free therapy" as contestants are granted access to expert psychologists, which he says he "needed" following his wife's death.

He opened up about his struggles after losing Joanna, revealing he had told their children he wished it had been him as she would have been better at helping everyone through the tragic time. "The kids sorted the funeral," Roger told the publication. "The first six months were the worst." However, Roger's stint on My Mum, Your Dad has paid off and he's found love with fellow single parent Janey Smith, with their romance still going strong four months after they finished filming the TV show.