Featured Image Credit: National Geographic/Disney+
Topics: TV and Film, Disney Plus
Claire Reid
A woman whose husband tragically died in an avalanche while climbing a mountain went on to find love with his best friend.
Mountain climber Alex Lowe had travelled to Tibet in 1999 with his closest friend and climbing partner Conrad Anker and cameraman David Bridges.
The trio had planned to climb the 8,000 metre Shishapangma mountain and then ski back down again.
However, the three men got trapped in an avalanche, which sadly killed both Alex and David - with Conrad being the lone survivor.
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Following the tragic incident, Conrad decided to pay a visit to Alex’s widow Jenni and their three kids to try and offer some comfort as they dealt with their grief.
Conrad remembered that before his death, Alex had said he was planning a trip to Disneyland with his family. So, keen to honour his best friend’s memory, he decided to take Jenni and the kids on the trip.
But the pair began to develop feelings for each other and in 2001, they got married at a ceremony in Italy.
Now, the couple and the three sons - who are all now grown up - have taken part in a National Geographic documentary about their story titled Torn.
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In the documentary, Jenni opens up about their relationship, telling the camera: “Being close to him felt like being close to Alex. It felt like an old shoe.”
Although the two youngest sons accepted Conrad into their lives from the start, the eldest Max - who shot the documentary - struggled.
During the film, he asks his mum how she was able to move on and remarry in just two years, to which she responds: “You can lose someone and still love someone else.”
Elsewhere in the film, Jenni tells her son: “Alex is a lucky guy, in that, his best friend, who loved him, fell in love with me and each of you.”
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Despite not always being onboard with the relationship, Max expresses his gratitude towards Conrad telling him: “You’ve done as good a job as I could have ever imagined and we all really love you for it.”
Torn is available to stream on Disney+ now.