Tragedy of loving dad, 27, who became 'very paranoid' during Covid lockdown

Danielle Thorpe fell to the floor when she found out the father of her child had died at 27-years-old.

Her partner, Junior Collins, passed away unexpectedly on April 19, leaving behind their five-year-old son Calvin.

Danielle, from Ashton, says Junior’s sudden death, the cause of which has not yet been confirmed, has been “soul-destroying” for the family – with Calvin now asking why his dad isn’t around to help him button up his shirts.

“I just feel like Calvin is broken forever now,” Danielle, 33, told the Manchester Evening News as she burst into tears. “He’s always going to be that kid whose dad died when they were five.

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“He took [the news] like a champ, but now all the questions are coming slowly. He says he can hear his dad. He keeps saying, ‘My dad told me he loves me’.

“We FaceTimed Junior every morning. This morning, he said he needed to FaceTime his dad because he helps him do his buttons. He asked if he could come back for two hours. He doesn’t understand why his dad doesn’t have his phone.”

Danielle, who also has a 12-year-old daughter from a previous partner, had been in a relationship with Junior for eight years before he passed away. They met while both working at an energy broker in Longsight.

The mum, who owns her own beauty business, described Junior as “beautiful” and “the nicest guy you will ever meet in your life”.

“Him as a person was enough,” she said. “He was just always the clown of the group and he was Scottish so everyone was always struggling to understand him.

“He did loads of things with my son; they used to play Xbox and go to the park. They were literally the best of friends.

“He was just such a nice guy –