SAVED BY MY SNOODIE

Sarah Coulson, 51, was stabbed seven times in a vicious knife attack

- KERRY HARDEN, ALETHEA FARLINE

Pulling the soft, snuggly hood over my head, I felt so warm. It was November 2022 and me and my boyfriend Steven, then 52, were out shopping. I always felt the cold, so as soon as I spotted the oversized hoodie blanket, called a snoodie, at the marketplace, I couldn't resist trying it on.

Fluffy, with a white sherpa lining, it was like being wrapped up in a cloud. 'This is so cuddly,' I told Steven, smiling. 'I'll get it for you,' he said. It was only £10, but it was the thought that mattered. In our three years together, he'd always made me feel special.

I worked as a civil servant and he was a lecturer, and after we bought a house and moved in together, we loved nothing more than a cosy evening cuddling on the sofa.

But the following year, Steven left his job due to stress and anxiety. He started drinking more and he'd sit at home, miserable. By September 2023, I was fed up. 'We can't carry on like this,' I told Steven. He looked at me in horror.

'You can't leave me,' he cried, throwing his arms around me.

'I won't leave if you promise to get help,' I said.

Steven agreed, but it was like I'd flipped a switch. He was so afraid of losing me, he'd follow me around the house. Once, I locked myself in the bathroom for some peace, and he broke in.

By December that year, I needed space and told him I was going to visit my brother. 'If you leave, I'll kill myself,' he threatened.

Then, I heard a thud. Steven had thrown himself down the stairs and was sprawled in the hallway. But I could tell he was just pretending, vying for my attention. Shaking, I stepped over him and closed the door.

'It's manipulative behaviour,' my brother warned when I told him. 'You have to get away from him.'