Spare a Thought for Rolf Harris’ Wife

Perth Relationship counselling expert Lynne Foote said Alwen Hughes would be going through just as much emotional trauma as her husband.

“Every time I watched the couple walk hand in hand into the court I felt anguish for Alwen,” said Ms Foote.

“She has stood by him despite the ordeal, but the big question now is whether she can deal with his jail term,” she said.

“It’s likely Alwen will experience a range of emotions over the coming days.”

“She would be in shock and a daze before the grieving process starts.”

“On the other end of the spectrum, if she’s always known about Rolf’s infidelities, she may feel relief that’s finally out in the open.”

“There’s also likely to be a sense of shame that she didn’t speak up before and may have prevented the situations from occurring.”

“And with that comes a sense of guilt.”

“It may be the case that she feels that she’s stood by him all this time, and now would be allowing herself to really feel what the impact has been.”

“It could be a sense of the bastard deserved it.”

“It’s a common situation I see all too often – where women have to deal with the emotional fall out of their husbands going to jail.”

“Any woman facing this prospect is in a critical emotional state.”

“Many marriages don’t make the distance.”

Ms Foote said Alwen and any woman facing a similar situation should be looking to do the following to preserve their own sanity:

1. Have a good support network; it helps to surround yourself with family and friends.

2. Talk to a professional, to work through the grief and loss and gain strategies to help you through this difficult time.

3. Be kind to yourself, for example, massage, meditation and spending time with friends

4. Let go of any guilt you may feel, keep a hand written journal this helps release some of the stress.

5. Self soothe, through music, breath work.

“Everyone has been focussing on what Rolf has been going through but no one has considered what his wife has been enduring,” said Ms Foote.

Contact Information

Lynne Foote

Counsellor and Life Coach

Lynne’s Counselling and Life coaching services

lynne@counselling4life.com.au