EastEnders star Jill Halfpenny has been spotted publicly with her new partner, Ian McAllister, for the first time since the devastating death of her boyfriend. The 49-year-old actress, best known for her role in Byker Grove, shared that she has “finally found love and happiness again” with Ian, following the tragic loss of Matt Janes, her partner of many years, who passed away from a heart attack in 2017 at just 43 years old.
Reflecting on the loss, Jill revealed that Matt had always wished for her to “find someone else and be happy” if anything were to happen to him. Looking radiant together, Jill and Ian made their debut as a couple at a public event, with Jill dressed in a chic black suit, white shirt, and black tie, while Ian looked dapper in a blue jacket and navy trousers.
In an interview, Jill opened up about her relationship with Ian, explaining, “It sounds cheesy, but I think Ian and I met at the perfect time. After Matt passed, I didn’t think I would ever find love again, but Ian has been my cheerleader. I know I’ve found someone who loves me, and I love him.”
Jill, who has been married before to actor Craig Conway and had a brief relationship with Ant McPartlin, has been candid about the toll Matt’s death took on her. In a 2019 conversation with Line of Duty actor Craig Parkinson on the Two Shot Podcast, Jill described her grief as “brutal” and shared that it brought up unresolved feelings from the loss of her father, Colin, who died from a heart attack when she was just four. She explained, “It was like dealing with a double loss – something I had never properly dealt with before.”
The actress has also been open about the challenges of raising her now 16-year-old son, Harvey, after Matt’s passing. She shared with Best magazine that, while she struggled with her own grief, she tried to shield her son from it as much as possible. “I would cry privately in my bedroom, trying to be quiet when Harvey was around because I didn’t want to traumatize him,” she said.
In her memoir, A Life Reimagined, Jill wrote about the “curse” she felt due to the striking similarities between her father and Matt’s deaths. She confessed that this made her question why life had dealt her such heartache.
Despite the sadness, Jill acknowledged that her experiences with grief have ultimately made her a “better person.” Now, with Ian by her side, Jill is embracing a new chapter in her life, describing him as a “cheerleader” who has helped her rediscover love and happiness.
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