“ROB WAS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE”: Lindsey Burrow Reveals the Heartbreaking Moments When Grief Still Hits Her Two Years After Losing Her Husband
“ROB WAS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE”: Lindsey Burrow Reveals the Heartbreaking Moments When Grief Still Hits Her Two Years After Losing Her Husband
More than two years after rugby legend Rob Burrow died aged 41, his wife Lindsey says his absence is still felt in the smallest moments of everyday life. A song playing in the car or watching other fathers support their children at football can bring the grief rushing back. But with their three children by her side, Lindsey is determined to honour the promise she made to Rob: to keep living life to the full.
For Lindsey Burrow, grief does not always arrive on anniversaries or special occasions.
Sometimes, it comes unexpectedly while she is driving, when a familiar song brings back memories of the man she loved since they were teenagers. At other times, seeing fathers standing beside their children at football reminds her of the moments Rob should still be sharing with their family.
More than two years after losing her husband, the former Leeds Rhinos rugby league star, Lindsey is learning to navigate life without the person who had been her partner for most of her life.
Rob died in June 2024 following his battle with motor neurone disease (MND), leaving Lindsey and their three children, Macy, Maya and Jackson, facing a future they had never imagined.
Now, in a deeply personal interview, Lindsey has opened up about the pain that remains, the memories that bring comfort and the children who give her a reason to smile each morning.
“ROB WAS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE”
Lindsey has made it clear that Rob remains irreplaceable in her life.
Asked whether she could imagine finding love again, the 43-year-old gave a firm response.
“Rob was the love of my life. No one will ever take his place,” she said.
She added that although his absence was heartbreaking, she remained grateful to have had him as her husband and the father of their children.
“We were married for 17 years, we started dating as teenagers. Rob probably knew me better than I knew myself,” she reflected.
Their relationship began long before Rob became widely recognised for his rugby career and his courageous public battle with MND.
For Lindsey, he was not simply a celebrated sportsman. He was the person she had grown up with, built a family with and expected to share the ordinary moments of life with.
His death changed that future, but it did not diminish the place he holds in her heart.
WHEN AN ORDINARY MOMENT BRINGS THE GRIEF BACK
One of Lindsey’s most moving admissions was that grief can catch her completely off guard.
She explained that a song playing while she drives can suddenly bring back memories of Rob, leaving her overwhelmed by the realisation that he is no longer there.
“You can be driving, a song comes on that reminds you of Rob and the grief just hits you,” she said.
Other moments can be equally painful.
Watching other fathers standing alongside their children at football reminds Lindsey of the experiences Rob should still be sharing with their youngest child, Jackson.
“It’s him not being able to watch football with Jackson. You see other dads there, and part of me feels that Rob should be here,” she explained.
These everyday reminders can be difficult because they represent more than the loss of a person. They are reminders of the family moments that should have continued as the children grew older.
Lindsey’s experience also reflects how bereavement can remain unpredictable. Even when life is moving forward, a familiar sound, a shared memory or a simple sight can bring sadness back without warning.
THREE CHILDREN KEEPING THEIR DAD CLOSE
Throughout the hardest days, Lindsey says her children have given her strength beyond what they may realise.
Rob and Lindsey shared three children: Macy, Maya and Jackson. Although they are growing up without their father physically beside them, his memory remains an active part of their family life.
Lindsey says they talk about Rob every day and keep memory jars at home, filled with reminders of their time together.
These treasured keepsakes give the children opportunities to revisit special moments, share stories and keep their dad close as they grow older.
Rather than limiting conversations about Rob to birthdays or anniversaries, the family continues to include him in everyday life.
Lindsey believes the children’s resilience reflects the example their father set during his illness.
“They miss him terribly. But the way that they’ve handled it is because Rob showed them how,” she said.
Their love for their dad remains central to the family’s life, helping them preserve his memory while continuing to create new experiences together.
“THEY’RE THE REASON I WAKE UP WITH A SMILE”
Lindsey has spoken warmly about the role her children have played in helping her navigate life after Rob’s death.
“They’ve helped me more than they’ll ever know,” she said, praising their strength and the way they continue with life despite missing their father.
She added: “They’re the reason I wake up with a smile in the morning. He’d be so proud. He idolised them.”
Her words capture the balance she is trying to maintain: allowing herself to grieve while continuing to give Macy, Maya and Jackson a happy and meaningful family life.
Moving forward does not mean pretending the pain has disappeared. Instead, Lindsey is finding ways to experience happiness alongside sadness, making memories with the children while ensuring their father remains part of their story.
The children have lost a father who adored them, while Lindsey has lost the partner with whom she shared most of her adult life.
Together, they are learning how to live with that absence without allowing it to erase the love they experienced.
A FATHER WHO MADE EVERY MOMENT COUNT
Before his diagnosis, Rob was celebrated for his achievements on the rugby field. But Lindsey’s memories of him focus just as strongly on his devotion to his family.
She recalled how he would often be the first to leave social functions because he wanted to get home to the children.
“He was the best dad I could have ever wished for,” she said.
Even as his MND progressed, Rob continued to seek opportunities to spend time with his family.
Lindsey remembered how, during the final week of his life, he attended his daughters’ dance show despite being seriously unwell. He also made time to take Jackson to Leeds Bradford Airport to watch planes.
Those memories have become especially precious because they show how determined Rob was to remain involved in his children’s lives.
His illness progressively took away abilities many people take for granted, but Lindsey says he continued to focus on making memories and being present for his family.
“He taught us that in the darkest of times, there’s a strength within us that we don’t realise we have,” she said.
THE PROMISE LINDSEY MADE TO ROB
Before his death, Lindsey made Rob a promise that she would continue living life to the full.
She remains determined to honour it.
“I made Rob a promise that we’d keep living life to the full,” she explained. “And we’re doing that.”
Her commitment is not about forgetting Rob or forcing herself to be positive every day. It is about continuing to live meaningfully, raising their children and finding happiness without feeling that doing so means leaving him behind.
Lindsey has also continued to support awareness of motor neurone disease, helping advance the vision Rob had for better care and support for people affected by the condition.
The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds, which opened in November 2025, stands as part of that continuing legacy.
For Lindsey, keeping his memory alive means more than preserving photographs and stories. It also means continuing the work and values that mattered deeply to him.
ROB BURROW’S LEGACY LIVES ON
Rob was diagnosed with MND in December 2019, aged 37. His diagnosis transformed the family’s life and brought national attention to a condition that affects the nerves controlling movement.
Throughout his illness, he and Lindsey helped raise awareness of MND by sharing their experiences publicly, including through documentaries that showed the realities of living with the disease.
Rob died on June 2, 2024, aged 41.
His determination, openness and advocacy inspired people far beyond the rugby community, helping raise awareness and support for research and better services.
Lindsey continues to build on that work while raising their children and preserving the memory of the man who meant so much to them.
For the family, his legacy is not only found in public tributes or the sporting achievements that made him famous. It lives on in the stories they share, the memories they revisit and the values he passed on to his children.
LEARNING TO LIVE WITH LOVE AND LOSS
Lindsey’s reflections show that grief does not simply disappear with the passage of time.
Some days bring laughter and new memories. Others bring a sudden reminder of the person who should still be there.
For Lindsey, seeing another father watching his child play football can be painful because she knows Rob should still be sharing those moments with Jackson. A song on the radio can bring back a lifetime of memories in an instant.
Yet she continues to look ahead, supported by her children and guided by the promise she made to her husband.
“Rob was the love of my life. No one will ever take his place.”
Her words express the depth of a love that continues beyond death and the determination to keep building a future for the family they created together.
Rob Burrow may no longer be physically beside Lindsey, Macy, Maya and Jackson, but his memory remains woven into their everyday lives.
And as Lindsey keeps her promise to live life to the full, she is making sure that their dad is never forgotten.
Source: Shelley Spadoni’s interview with Lindsey Burrow, published by the Mirror and reported by AOL; additional coverage by upday.
