A single mother who was “blindsided” by divorce and ended up living off Rice Krispies as she was diagnosed with anxiety has since transformed her life, retraining as a mindset coach, and now helps other women rebuild their lives after break-ups. Sam Patel, 51, met her ex-husband, John, whose name has been changed for privacy reasons, in 2004 and the couple were married in 2010.
However, in 2016, Sam said John came home one day and explained that “he was leaving, that he was unhappy, and he didn’t want to be in a relationship with (her) anymore”. Sam said this was “a complete shock” and she felt as though she had been “winded”; she said she had “no idea it was coming” and did not think she would ever be able to move on.
She then went through what she describes as a “cycle of grief”. She lived off Rice Krispies for several weeks, only slept for around four hours per night as her mind was constantly “racing”, and was diagnosed with anxiety.
