Nearly everyone in my immediate family has passed away apart from my mum and one brother. There's nothing you can do to take that pain away, but listening helps, holding him if he cries will help, and practical things like making him food if he's hungry will help.

This may be a really difficult time for both of you so make sure you are looking after yourself, too. The healthier and stronger you are the better you'll be able to cope with a grieving boyfriend, who will likely be quite a different person while he goes through this. He might want to be on his own more, which is okay, but could be hard on you if you're used to a certain routine. You will likely need some support too from a friend or family member.

Grief is weird and unpredictable. Everyone goes through it in a different way. Let him guide you with what he needs - if he needs someone to listen, to distract him and make him laugh (that's important too!) or to help with practical things that might be hard for him at the moment. It's okay to say 'I want to help but I don't know how'. My cousin said that to my mum at my dad's funeral and mum still talks to this day about how honest and wise that was. They ended up going for a walk and it really helped. It's normal not to know, and it's absolutely fine to ask.