"My pride extends past everything great Chris was, and did, in his lifetime, to everything I knew he would have achieved in his future. Had his life been longer, Chris would have showed us even more of what made him great - from huge career achievements to tiny gestures of true friendship. Those are things that made him Chris. I know that Chris was proud of me, and though I don't know what my own future holds, I've already felt all his pride for me. It extended past the moments he was present for, to everything I will be and do. I don't believe that Chris is looking down on us now, but that when he was alive he knew us well enough to be sure of how loved he is, of the impact he had, of how proud we are to know him. His love will last as long as we do. I was never more proud of Chris than when he was in his element, surrounded by people. When he walked through the door at a party and every face in the room lit up. When he commanded the respect and admiration of a young musician or a seasoned industry pro. When he bonded with an aloof barman, or any stranger wearing a City shirt outside Manchester. I'll always be incredibly happy that I was able to stand by his side and share so many of those moments with him. Chris was aware, every day, of how lucky he was to have such an incredible family, friends, career and life. I know that he appreciated it all massively, and never took any of it for granted. I will be proud of him for as long as I live" - 2010 In some ways the pain of loss looms less with time. It doesn't always take all my willpower to survive each day. I CAN live & thrive & do him proud. But in some ways it's worse: The feeling of being loved by him is further away. The distance grows between who we were then & who I am now. It's harder to imagine him here, in this world. Fewer people talk about him & share memories. I'm much older than him. On days like this, the pain is sharper, concentrated. Image description: Me & Chris. A fresh-faced 20-something couple, sticking our tongues at the camera. He has a black cap, check shirt & black square glasses. We're both white with dark hair. My tongue's blue & his is red - we just had slushies.