'My girlfriend thought common symptom was stress - two weeks later she was dead'

Mădălina Grigore

A mum thought she was suffering from a stress-related migraine at work when doctors made a devastating discovery. Nicolette Richardson, 41, from Southwest London, was a busy osteopath who worked long hours. When she began to suffer from a sudden, intense headache in November 2020, she thought it was just the result of stress and exhaustion. Her partner, osteopath business owner Austen Ham-Howes, 45, has shared how the couple had been planning their future together just days before her symptoms