Tina Malone has heartbreakingly revealed she ‘relishes the thought of dying’, 18 months after the tragic death of her husband Paul Chase.
The 62-year-old actress suffered heartbreak in March 2024 when her husband, army veteran Paul, took his own life aged 41.
He struggled a long battle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – a mental health condition developed after a person experiences or witnesses a traumatic event, such as war.
Tina emotionally told Best magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Siobhan Wykes on the latest episode of the Suddenly Single podcast that she ‘can’t wait’ for the day she is reunited with her late spouse.
She added she ‘wouldn’t be here now’ if it wasn’t for her youngest child Flame, 12, who is grieving the loss of her father.
Tina said: ‘I relish the thought of dying, which I know that sounds kind of crazy. If I didn’t have Flame, I wouldn’t be here now.’
Tina Malone, 62, has heartbreakingly revealed she ‘relishes the thought of dying’, 18 months after the tragic death of her husband Paul Chase
The actress suffered heartbreak in March 2024 when her husband, army veteran Paul, took his own life aged 41 (pictured together in 2013)
Siobhan asked: ‘Do you really believe so?’
Tina, who also has 44-year-old daughter Danielle from a previous relationship, said: ‘Absolutely. With pure joy. And I can say that rationally, and everything else.
‘I have to be strong and have to love and protect and ensure my youngest girl fulfils everything in life. But no, I relish passing over whatever you want to call it, death, whatever. I relish it.’
The Brookside star continued: ‘I welcome the day because I will be with him again. And that’s all I live for.’
Tina said she is adamant she will ‘never’ date again or have sex with another man.
She admitted: ‘I will never date again. I’ve had enough good sex in my life to last me a lifetime… I’ve had the greatest sex with quite a few men. The best and the penultimate being with my darling Paul.’
In May 2024, Tina recalled receiving her late husband’s final texts hours after he sent them on the night he took his own life.
Tina told how because she has an ‘old phone’ the messages did not come through until it was too late for her to do anything to help.
Tina emotionally said on the latest episode of the Suddenly Single podcast that she ‘can’t wait’ for the day she is reunited with her late spouse
Paul (pictured during his time with the Cheshire regiment) served all over the world – including in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Falklands
She explained that the police knocked on her door to share the heartbreaking news about Paul’s passing, just as received the texts from him.
Tina revealed Paul sent her a text at 4am on the night of his death, which read: ‘I am sorry I left you, you lit up my life every time I saw you. I’m sorry.’
Tina had tragically read that message just as police had arrived at her Liverpool home, after Paul had not returned home that night.
The Brookside actress was just about to take their 10-year-old child Flame to school when police arrived and informed her that Paul was dead.
In the text, the former military man also wrote: ‘Tina, please forgive me and one day when you are up here with me we will meet again. Xxx I love you Tina, I will visit you when I find a way. I am sorry my love, you made my life perfect, throughout the chaos. Xxx I will come and visit you and Flame in spirit. Please forgive me xxx’
Speaking to OK magazine, Tina said: ‘His last texts were sent at about 4am but I have an old phone and they didn’t come through straight away. When they finally arrived the police were already at my house breaking the news that he’d gone.’
Tina added: ‘I’ve not spoken about this publicly until this minute. It’s the first time I’ve said it and confirmed it. Paul did commit suicide. I believe in transparency.’
Paul was a former member of the 22nd Regiment of the Cheshires, serving in Northern Ireland, Belize, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Falklands – where he was nicknamed Chevy by fellow squaddies because of his surname, after the comedian.
Tina previously revealed that she is speaking out about how he died in the name of ‘transparency’ and to encourage conversations around supporting veterans (seen in 2014)
Tina revealed that her husband Paul sent her a text at 4am on the night of his death (pictured all together in 2014)
War hero husband Paul Malone’s last texts were sent at about 4am
She penned on Twitter: ‘Six weeks ago today was the worst day of my entire life, my world fell apart, my hubby Paul is dead, but he lives forever in my heart x’
But Tina said he would talk often about the Army when he was drunk – and she encouraged him to seek help to cope with what he saw while serving his country.
Tina said: ‘When he got drunk he’d ramble about the army and I’d tell him, ‘You have depression, you have emotional issues because of what you’ve seen’. But he’d sweep it away. He’d say, ‘How will I get a job if I have that?”
She and Paul met at a boot camp event where he was a personal trainer after her appearance on Celebrity Big Brother.
But their relationship was troubled in 2017 as Tina was arrested and cautioned for cocaine possession – being sacked from a pantomime in the process – while Paul lost his job caring for violent teenagers.
The couple were left facing bankruptcy and Tina says his mental health spiralled during this time, using prescription drugs and cocaine in an attempt to cope before attempting to take his own life.
He was admitted to psychiatric care, and was given help by an veterans charity, but Tina said he would experience mood swings.
Eventually, Tina said, Paul ‘couldn’t fight anymore’. After making food for Flame, he kissed Tina, went out – and was dead hours later.
‘He felt lost, he felt useless,’ she said.
Tina tied the knot with Paul, who is 19 years her junior, in 2010 and they were married for nine years, before briefly separating in 2019 – getting back together just months later in February 2020.
Following their 2020 reunion, the soap star said their relationship was back to normal and said their ‘love never went away.’
She told Closer magazine at the time: ‘The love never went away, we’re working on things now, our problems were compounded by depression but I learned that in tough times you have to pull together and not apart.’
