'I was four months pregnant when my husband was killed - I knew before police even knocked on door'

A heartbroken wife has recalled the stomach-churning moment she was told her husband hadn't turned up to work. Sophie Ransom said she 'instantly' knew something terrible had happened - and was later told the father of her unborn child had tragically died.

When the 26-year-old had woke up on May 24, 2023, her husband Paul, wasn't there. Assuming he'd already left for work, she popped out for some milk - but returned to find a missed call from his boss.

Sophie, who was 17-weeks pregnant at the time, said: "I rang back, and the first thing he asked me was, 'Is Paul okay?' I said, 'Well, you tell me - because he's not here'. My stomach just dropped and I instantly had an intuition that something had happened."

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The Mirror reports that a frantic Sophie checked the Ring doorbell, hoping to find footage of Paul, 25, leaving for work. When she couldn't find anything, she rang Suffolk Constabulary and asked them if there had been any accidents reported in the area. She said: "The lady on the phone was really calm. She asked me to describe Paul - and said someone would contact me really soon."

Police officers knocked on Sophie's door around 30 minutes later and gave her the devastating news that he'd died. A devastated Sophie was told Paul had been involved in a collision on his Suzuki motorbike and hadn't survived his injuries. "I was in disbelief. I knew something would've happened, but I didn't think he'd be dead. I was thinking, worst case scenario, I'd have to look after him and the baby - and he didn't even make it to hospital," she said.

The couple were 19 when they met in October 2016 after matching on Tinder. Although Sophie had initially turned Paul down when he'd asked to go out for a drink, they bumped into each other by chance several nights later. "It was completely unplanned - we just met at a bar one night," she said.

"It was lovely, he spent the whole night chatting to me and my friend - he came across as really kind." Romance blossomed and the couple got engaged on October 6, 2021, tying the knot just over a month later. Sophie described their relationship as "near-perfect", adding: "Paul is just the funniest and kindest person I've ever met - he'd make people feel really comfortable."

She continued: "He never had a bad word to say about anybody - and he'd do anything for you. In fact, the only thing about him that wasn't perfect was how messy he could be." Sophie said the first few weeks without Paul were a 'blur' as she was faced with organising their mortgage and bills, plus Paul's funeral.

The ceremony was attended by more than 250 people on July 1, 2023, at a "beautiful crematorium surrounded by wildlife". Sophie said: "I didn't want it to be called a funeral - it was a celebration of his life. It was sad, but I didn't want everyone's lasting memory to be really sad.

"He was such a positive, upbeat person - so I told everyone to wear coloured clothing. The celebrant told loads of funny stories about him - and the final song was our first dance song, 'Can't Take My Eyes off You'. It was a beautiful service - I even somehow managed to read a poem."

Sophie said it was around this time she began to feel her baby move, adding: "That's when I thought, 'I've got to get on, I've got her to look after now, as well as myself'." Poppy weighed 6lbs 6oz when she was born on October 28, 2023, at 11.30pm.

The mum-of-one has now vowed to make "life as good as it can be" for her and Poppy, adding: "In those early weeks after Paul died, I didn't want to be around anybody. I was shaking all the time, I couldn't eat. I didn't want to see anyone. But now, I'm happy - and I miss him so much. I wish he was here, every single day. But I make a conscious decision to get up - I have to try and keep going."

Sophie, a project manager, from Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, wakes up with the intention to "smile and laugh at least once a day", despite thinking she could never be happy again. "Life as a young widow is hard - it's the hardest thing I've ever done, and so exhausting," she said. "But there's happiness in my life every single day - and a privilege I get to keep on living for my daughter."