The husband of late Emmerdale star Leah Bracknell has said he feels his wife's spirit is still alive and she has simply moved to 'another realm' in an interview to mark the year after her death. 

Emmerdale star Leah Bracknell lost her battle with stage 4 lung cancer in September 2019 at the age of just 55, three years after her devastating diagnosis. 

During an interview on ITV's Loose Women today, her husband, Jez Hughes, 46, suggested the couple have a long distance relationship because she resides in another Shaman world.

He said: 'Her spirit is as alive now as ever...She is in a different world.

We did long distance previously. Now it's more distant but that isn't to say death is a defining end. I understand that we move onto different realms and places.'

The husband of late Emmerdale star Leah Bracknell, Jez Hughes, 46, has said he feels his wife's spirit is still alive and she has simply moved to 'another realm' in an interview  with Loose Women to mark the year after her death

Leah, who 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 breathlessness prompted her to seek medical help. 

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

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She went on to die three years later after losing her battle with the lung cancer.  

Speaking today, a week after the anniversary of her death, Jez said he felt 'deep sorrow and pain' when she passed away: 'Grief is like a monster who brings along a lot of their mates like anger and pain. It's like being physically assaulted, the pain.'

Emmerdale star Leah Bracknell lost her battle with stage 4 lung cancer in September 2019 at the age of just 55, three years after her devastating diagnosis

He said with time the pain he experienced got a little easier to deal with, explaining: 'The places in between the grief get longer.

You feel normal and laugh and smile, living life again which brings up other stuff like guilt.

'It can just hit you suddenly, going from completely normal and then it just hits you.

'Over time you go back to a sense of normality so when you're sucked back into the grief it's almost harder.'

He continued: 'Grief is about finding beauty, life can be cruel and cancer is cruel.

Being on a grief journey is finding the beauty within that.

'I think that's what Allie did in facing cancer, she found beauty cheap hosting and ssl laughter and love.' 

Jez, who is a Sharman, told the panel on Loose Women that he felt her spirit was 'as alive as ever'

He also revealed he watches old episodes of the soap to feel connected to his wife, saying: 'It helps me connect with her.

Yes that is before I knew her but obviously it meant so much to her.

'It feels important to connect with that part of her. There's moments, if there's an emotional scene in the programme I know those moments, I know those facial expressions, that touches somewhere deep inside me.'

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

She was often vocal about her cancer treatment, sharing 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 notion of being a victim'.

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

In her final interview in August 2019, she said that she wouldn't 'let herself live in fear' adding that she was 'just going to have a good life.' 

During an interview on Loose Women today, a week after the anniversary of Leah's death, Jez said he felt 'deep sorrow and pain' when she passed away, comparing it to being physically assaulted

Tragic: Lea was diagnosed in September 2016 after rapid weight gain around her abdomen and breathlessness prompted her to seek medical help (left in 2017, right earlier this year)

She said: 'I don't need to go and fulfil a bucket list, that's not my style, I just want to do the things I want to do while I am healthy and strong.

'I won't let myself live in fear, I'm just going to live a good life.'

Speaking about her willingness to speak candidly about her diagnosis, Jez said: 'That was real, it wasn't put on for the telly, that's how she approached cancer and then diagnosis when we were told there's nothing they could do.

'Everytime she faced that wall she expanded.

That bravery to look mortality in the face. She made choices to rise above.

'She wanted to be defined by her responses - not her diagnosis or treatment or how long she lived for. She was incredible. She never moaned about that.'

The widow, who calls his wife Allie, a nickname derived from her real name Alison, said he feels it is important to connect to the fact he and Leah had a long relationship and she had a long life before cancer.    

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