Mum found out her boyfriend had got his secret lover pregnant when he died in Shoreham disaster — now the women and his children are best friends
Young mums Tanya Hewstone and Georgina Brown should have been love rivals but have forged a unique bond following the tragic loss of the dad to both their sons in triumph over tragedy
TWO women will today wish each other a happy Mother’s Day after salvaging an unlikely friendship from tragedy.
Tanya Hewstone and Georgina Brown had their lives ripped apart by the Shoreham Airshow disaster, when Daniele Polito — who fathered sons with both women — was killed.
They could have been love rivals, yet instead they forged a unique bond.
And today Tanya, 24, and 19-year-old Georgina will remember the man with whom they each became parents.
Tanya is mum to seven-year-old Georgio, while Georgina has a two-year-old boy, Jaxson.
In an exclusive interview, Tanya told The Sun on Sunday: “Georgina and I wish each other a happy Mother’s Day every year now.
“Not having Daniele here makes me value being a parent more.
“I call myself a ‘Mumdad’ because I do both jobs.
“Georgina and I have become really good friends. The boys have each other and so do Georgina and me.
“The boys love each other and they will both be mini versions of their father. Though something terrible happened, something amazing has come out of it.”
'SOMETHING AMAZING HAS COME OF IT'
Fun-loving Daniele, 23, whose family are of Italian heritage, was travelling with pal Matt Jones on the A27 in West Sussex in August 2015 when a 1950s Hawker Hunter involved in a stunt display crashed on to the road.
The resulting fireball killed 11 people, including Daniele and Matt.
Georgina, a healthcare assistant from Worthing, had only just started seeing Daniele when he died.
But a week after the funeral she learned she was pregnant with his second child, her first.
Tanya, from Rustington, also in West Sussex, had split from the builder in 2014 after four years together.
She did not know he had a new girlfriend. Tanya says: “Georgina messaged me a week after the funeral saying she was pregnant with Daniele’s child and she’d understand if I was upset. I rang her straight away.
“I wasn’t upset, just shocked. I wasn’t jealous but territorial.
“We started talking and spoke about meeting, but it didn’t happen.”
Georgina and I realised we had so much in common. We get on really well
The two women planned to see each other after Georgina gave birth to Jaxson but Tanya had reservations about how her own son was coping.
She says: “Georgio had become a very angry child and I didn’t want Jaxson to be affected by it, or for Georgio to try to understand how Daniele had a baby even though he’s not here. We met when Jaxson was five months old. They came to my house and I explained who Jaxson was. Georgio said, ‘Oh I love him’ and they sat on the sofa cuddling.
“Georgina and I realised we had so much in common. We get on really well.
“She came and stayed at my house every other night with Jaxson for three months. She became a very good friend.”
Tanya, a full-time mum, adds: “Georgina and I speak pretty much every day.
“It’s nice to know I’ve got someone in the same situation and I know she is always going to be there.”
Georgio said he was going to get his coat and get Daddy from the sky
Both mums see similarities in their boys. Tanya says: “They have the same skin colouring, from Daniele, but also blond hair. They look the same in profile and some baby photos look alike. Both have an attitude problem!
“They are very sassy, typical boys. Daniele was a typical boy, a bit of a lad.
“Georgio talks about Daniele all the time and Jaxson will when he is older.
“When I’m with Georgina, we recall the good times we had with Daniele, and how funny he was.”
The four spent Father’s Day together last year, going to the beach in Goring-by-Sea, West Sussex. Tanya says: “The boys built sandcastles and ate ice creams.
“Georgio said it was the most fun he’d ever had.
“He loved it. This year all four of us are going to Daniele’s memorial bench [in Goring] for Father’s Day.
“Hopefully it will be nice weather and we’ll get an ice cream again.”
'WE'VE BEEN THROUGH TERRIBLE TIMES'
They have also been swimming at a Worthing leisure centre. Tanya says: “Georgio can swim, Jaxson is learning.
“They both love football and Daniele did too. And they are both cheeky chappies, just like Daniele. We talk about him all the time to the boys. I try to keep Daniele ‘alive’.”
Tanya and Georgina supported each other during the trial of Andy Hill, 54, the pilot of the plane, who was this month cleared of manslaughter.
Mr Hill said he had no memory of the lead-up to the crash. After the verdict he stood outside the Old Bailey and read out the names of those who died, saying: “I’m truly sorry for the part I played in their deaths.”
Tanya adds: “Daniele dying affected Georgio quite a lot.
“He struggled with school life and socialising.
“I said, ‘Daddy has been in a bad accident’ and told him we couldn’t see Daddy any more. I said it wasn’t just him that couldn’t see Daddy, it was everyone, and Daddy had gone up to the sky.
“Georgio said he was going to get his coat and get Daddy from the sky. There are still times when he says, ‘I want to go and get my dad’.
“But he has got a lot better with his emotions and handling everything.”
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Tanya is angry about the trial verdict but is determined to put on a brave face.
She says: “I was hoping this would bring closure and it hasn’t.
“We have been through some terrible times but it’s good to know we can get through it together.”
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