My husband was folding our washing the day after our perfect honeymoon – we were so happy but then my world fell apart

The Sun

01-05-2025

A BRIDE was devastated when her new husband killed himself the day after their "perfect" honeymoon - before sending her flowers from beyond the grave.
Isabel Coles married her husband Christopher in September 2024 after meeting on a dating app a year and a half before, and said they were "insanely happy".
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As music was a big part of their relationship, the newlyweds chose to go to a beach-front music festival at the iconic Asbury Park in New Jersey, US, for their honeymoon.
"We were so insanely happy and in love," Isabel said.
"We went to the Sea.Here.Now Festival for our honeymoon - it was the perfect way to celebrate our marriage."
But upon returning from the seaside festival, Isabel, 32, said her husband began to act "weird" and refused to tell her what was on his mind.
The 28-year-old is said to have left the house the morning after the honeymoon with a handgun and walked to a nearby forest despite his wife's attempts to stop him.
"In the morning, he was folding laundry and things were a little weird. I asked him what was wrong, and he said 'nothing'," Isabel recalled.
"He went downstairs and tried to get out. I stood at the front door and asked what was going on.
"He got out and started heading towards the woods.
"I ran upstairs to get shoes on and realised he had taken his handgun."
The army veteran was reportedly found by his father the following morning, having taken his own life.
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"I was shocked, I was devastated," Isabel, from Southern Pines, North Carolina, US, said.
"He was great during our honeymoon, we had a great time.
"My husband was very successful and very driven and motivated and he was such a good person, so looking back I think, ' were there signs? '
"He was very hard on himself, always pushing himself. There were no signs, it did take me really off guard.
"After he passed, I got an overwhelming amount of messages from people saying we looked so happy and that they always wanted what we had."
In a final bizarre twist, Isabel was stunned to receive a bouquet of flowers from Christopher months after his death - as he'd arranged them to be delivered while he would be away with the military.
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EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
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"In February I got a flower delivery from him and I freaked out," she said.
"I contacted the florist and they said he ordered the flowers in September because he knew he would be deployed and travelling back around Valentine's Day."
The mum-of-one shared her story online on a viral video which has gathered almost 40 million views.
Isabel claims some commenters have slammed her for sharing her husband's story and blame her for his death.
There are things I do blame myself for but I don't think we were unhappy or that I did it
Isabel Coles
Isabel now aims to raise awareness about mental health and plans to run the Chicago Marathon in October 2025 to support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
"Everyone wants a reason why," she said.
"No one believes that a smart, handsome, successful man who has a great life wakes up one day and decides to end his life.
"There are people in my life that say I had something to do with it.
"I know it's not true, my husband and I were very happy.
"No one can change that or take that away from me.
"There are things I do blame myself for but I don't think we were unhappy or that I did it.
"He obviously was fighting demons and no one knew about it."
As for how Isabel is coping following her husband's death, she admitted she's "not doing well".
"There's a part of me that is gone forever," she sighed.
"There's still so much that I'm dealing with that make me feel like I'm re-living the moment over and over again which is very tough.
"He didn't do it to hurt me, he wouldn't do anything to hurt me. For whatever reason he probably thought that people would be better off without him."
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