A Toronto radio host hit a raw, emotional chord with listeners Monday after he began talking about the anxieties that come with reuniting with an ex who has moved on with their life.
Jim Richards, a Newstalk 1010 host, shared a tearful story about seeing his ex-girlfriend in an Ottawa restaurant after declining an invitation to attend her wedding.
“She hugged me for about two or three seconds. And I hugged her back a little bit. Because I thought it was going to be a friendly, like, ‘Hi how are you hug.’ And she didn’t let go.”
The two embraced in front a table of mutual friends, all aware of the pair’s history, for what felt like ten minutes, Richards said. Then he heard a sound that really began to churn his emotions.
“But while we were hugging, I could hear her crying in my ear,” he said. “It broke my heart because she was hugging me tighter and tighter — and crying in my ear. Because I pushed her away.”
Listen to the full segment below:
Bound by a radio schedule, Richards collected himself before throwing to a traffic report.
The segment made a deep impression with Richards’ audience, some who were caught off guard listening to a show format often characterized by sound effects rather than tender moment of human connectedness.
“This was pretty heartbreaking to listen to,” wrote one listener.
“I listen 1010 all the time and I never expected this from Jim, it took a lot of courage to reveal this on air... I was choking up by the end also, I felt how deep your pain is,” wrote another, leaving a piece of advice behind to offer a some words of optimism to the host.
“Life will go on, but we all know that she will always hold a very special place in your heart and you in hers.”