"You never think it will be you"
How life insurance helped Simon Thomas navigate the unthinkable
Life insurance pays out a lump sum if you die during your policy term, helping support loved ones with everyday costs or longer‑term commitments. It isn’t a savings or investment product and only pays out on a successful claim. For many, its value is only fully realised when it’s needed most.
Below, a customer explains why life insurance mattered to them. This personal testimonial is not financial advice.
Key points
Life insurance is easy to delay, but life can change suddenly and without warning.
Covering both partners matters, even if only one is the main earner.
Life insurance isn’t just about income – it helps protect the home, stability and future of those you love.
A supportive, straightforward claims process can make a real difference at an incredibly difficult time.
When TV presenter Simon Thomas lost his wife, Gemma, it happened suddenly.
One moment, life looked normal. But days later, he found himself facing a new and devastating reality: both as a grieving husband and as a father suddenly raising his young son alone.
In the shock and confusion of those first days, Simon found himself asking questions he never thought he’d need to. The biggest and most urgent one surfaced late on a Sunday night, three days after Gemma passed away: were they both covered?
He worried he might have made the wrong decision years earlier. That he’d insured himself, but not his wife. What would it mean for their son, their home and the life they’d built together?
It was an unimaginable burden to shoulder in the middle of grief. But thankfully, Simon later learned that they were both covered, the claim would be paid, and he’d have the financial support needed to make decisions for him and his son’s future.
Knowing this didn’t erase the pain of losing his wife. But it did remove one of his fears, giving him the space to breathe, and to focus on what mattered most: helping his son through the loss of his mum.
“It opened the horizon,” Simon says. “It gave me the freedom to think about how I cared for Ethan and what life looked like next.”
Life insurance is easy to put off, until you need it
Simon admits to something many people feel: life insurance is easy to put off until you need it.
It can be the kind of decision that’s easy to delay. It can feel confusing, and it’s common to assume that only the primary earner, like Simon, needs cover. But his story highlights some important points about protection:
- Every member of a household contributes to the life you share, even if not financially.
- If something happens, the impact goes far beyond income.
- Life insurance is protection for the people you love, not just the money they bring in.
A smooth, supportive claims process
In the days following Simon’s wife’s death, even simple tasks felt overwhelming. Grief can make everyday decisions harder, and complicated paperwork almost impossible.
But Simon describes the claims process as “amazing” in its simplicity. With Aviva, he felt there were no complicated forms, no loaded questions, and no long delays. Instead, he felt he had compassionate, fast support when his world had fallen apart.
The last thing a grieving person needs is a laborious process,” he recalls. “And Aviva made it as smooth as it could possibly be.
Be equipped, not intimidated
Simon shares his story because he knows how daunting life insurance can feel when you’re researching it for the first time. Many people worry about the cost, the complexity, whether you’ve got the right cover – or whether it’s even needed right now.
But Simon’s experience taught him that life can change without warning, and that having cover in place isn’t just a financial decision, but an act of care.
“My advice is: don’t wait. You’ll never regret having life insurance. You’ll only regret not having it when you need it.”
Understanding your own protection needs
Simon’s story helps break down some of the misconceptions around life insurance. It isn’t only for parents, or for high earners, or for major life events like buying a home.
It’s for anyone who has someone who depends on them: emotionally, practically, or financially.
If you’ve been thinking about whether you need life insurance, or what kind of cover is right for you, there’s no pressure to make a decision immediately. But taking a few minutes to explore your options can help you feel more confident in choosing.
Learn more about Simon’s experience in the full video
Transcript for video Learn more about Simon’s experience in the full video
[On screen text:]
Were we both covered, or was it just me?
So the answer was she is and she was.
[Simon:]
Were we both covered or was it just me?
So the answer was she is and she was.
[On screen text]
Simon’s Aviva Life Insurance Story
Claim Paid: November 2017
[Aviva logo]
[Simon:]
It was the Sunday night, the third night after she'd gone.
These questions that had begun on that Saturday morning were now at kind of fever pitch.
But the biggest one was the financial one.
When I get to that Sunday night, I knew I was insured.
I had this worry that maybe I'd been that guy who'd said "no, no, no, just insure me".
There's all that guilt as well running through me that "what are you doing? This is 3 nights later - this doesn't matter."
Well, actually it did because I knew if I could find the answer one thing is dealt with, and then I could worry about the myriad of other things.
I can't remember what time I emailed to you, Roy, but it was very, very early and it was just very simply, "Please just tell me: were we both covered, or was it just me?"
And I remember you getting back to me early that morning, which lifted one of the many weights off the shoulders.
And the answer was: she is and she was.
And you gave me the figure for what the payout would be.
[Roy:]
Can you remember how quickly we were able to sort this out, with no hassle to yourself, and how important that was in dealing with an insurance company?
[Simon:]
In amongst an episode where you feel imprisoned by kind of pain, that actually gave you a sense of financial freedom. That OK, that opens the horizon in terms of the decisions I can make in terms of what happens to Ethan [subtitles include (Simon’s son)] and how I manage him going forward.
And the speed at which they, you know, processed everything was amazing.
And that does make a big difference because the fact that the process was smooth.
There wasn't a need for me to answer a load of questions.
There wasn’t a need for me to provide endless proof.
Obviously you're going to have to provide a death certificate at some point, but the smoother the process can be, the last thing a grieving person needs when they've got a myriad of other things to think about, worry about, is a laborious process.
[On screen text:]
[Aviva logo]
We’ve got you covered*
*T&Cs Apply
This is a personal testimonial and should not be taken as financial advice or used to inform financial decision-making.
If you want to understand more about protecting your loved ones, visit our life insurance page.
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