Planning for life after loss: Lorna Luxe’s story

If you’ve been online the past couple of days, you’ve probably seen two big stories about love and loss. 

Lorna Luxe & husband John

Lorna Luxe shared that her husband of 16 years, John, sadly passed away from cancer this week, a battle he’s had for some time. The pair regularly documented John’s journey and gave loyal followers insight into his treatment and the plans they were putting in place together to protect Lorna’s future. They both recently spoke openly about creating their wills, lovingly laughing and joking about who they were gifting their jewellery and other designer items too.

James Van Der Beek & wife Kimberly

Another high profile passing this week was that of James Van Der Beek (age 48), also known as Dawson from Dawson’s Creek. He sadly died from colorectal cancer and his wife Kimberly has set up a GoFundMe to help support their six children. According to the fundraiser, due to the costs of medical treatment, the family have been put under significant financial strain, despite James’ high profile career. 

The community response has been immediate with over £2 million raised in the first 48 hours since his passing, with big name donors like Steven Spielberg offering their financial support.

It can happen to any of us

According to Cancer Research UK, around 1 in 2 people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime*, so what does that mean for the rest of us?

At Financielle, we’re making it our mission to help close the insurance protection gap for women and their families. Roughly a third of women don’t have life insurance and where they do, they often have 20% less coverage than men.

So as part of the legacies of these two much-loved men, why not do one thing today to ensure your family are better protected?

Maybe review your current policies? Maybe speak with a specialist advisor and have them review what you have (or don’t have) and gather some recommendations?

At the very least, have that conversation with your loved ones.

This could give you the peace of mind you need.

We work with Lifesearch** to introduce people who want to chat about protection and get advice.

Three products to consider:

Life Insurance 

Life insurance isn’t one size fits all. Here are the main policies you’ll come across:

Term Life Insurance

• Covers you for a fixed period (e.g. 20 years).
• Pays out if you pass away during the term.
• Often chosen to protect children until they’re financially independent.

Decreasing Term Life Insurance

• Coverage reduces over time, usually in line with your mortgage.
• A cost-effective option if your main goal is to make sure your home is paid off.

How Much Cover Do You Need?

This is the big question and the answer is personal to you. Think about:

• Debts & mortgage: Could your loved ones pay these off without you?
• Everyday costs: Rent, childcare, bills, groceries.
• Future goals: Uni fees for children, or simply giving your partner breathing space.

💡 Top tip: There are calculators online that can help you work this out but your needs will depend on your personal circumstances. An authorised protection adviser can help you assess this.

Critical Illness Cover

We’re all at risk of developing a serious illness so its important to take steps to protect ourselves and our families.

Policies vary, but many critical illness policies cover conditions such as cancers (especially breast, ovarian and cervical that are more prevalent in women), heart conditions and autoimmune diseases

You can see our guide on Critical Illness cover here

Coverage varies by insurer and policy – not all conditions are covered and definitions differ.

Write your will

Writing a will isn’t for you.  It’s for the people you love to make their lives easier when it matters most.

It’s especially important to have a will in place if:

• You’re a parent or guardian of a child under the age of 18 – so you can choose who would take care of your child or children, if the worst were to happen.

• You own a home – so you can decide what happens to your home (who can live in it, inherit it etc.) when you die.

• You’re in a relationship but aren’t in a civil partnership or married – so you protect your partner, and ensure they’re cared for if you were to die first.

• You want a say in where your possessions go after you die

Free wills month is nearly upon us (March 2026) so be sure to keep up to date with the Financielle social channels to claim yours.

Important Notice: This guide is for general information only and is designed to help you understand the basics of Life Insurance and Critical Illness Cover. It does not constitute financial advice, and Financielle is not authorised to advise on financial products. If you require advice tailored to your personal circumstances, please speak to LifeSearch or an authorised protection adviser.

*Source: Cancer Research UK, Lifetime cancer risk statistics,  February 2026

**Indicates a tracked link, which tells our partner that we sent you and may in the future result in a payment or benefit to our site.

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Financielle is an Introducer Appointed Representative of LifeSearch Partners Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. FCA Registration Number: 656479.