Peaches Geldof's widower Thomas Cohen refused to "lose" himself to grief after the British socialite's tragic death in 2014.
Peaches, the mother of Thomas' two sons, was found dead at the couple's home in Kent, England on 7 April, 2014 and coroners later ruled the 25-year-old had passed away following a heroin overdose.
Thomas, the former frontman of rock group S.C.U.M., has rarely commented on Peaches' death, but he has now opened up about the devastating loss in a candid interview with Britain's The Sunday Times Magazine.
In the article, published this weekend (03Apr16), the 25-year-old admitted losing Peaches was "traumatizing", but he forced himself not to wallow in his grief for the sake of their young children, Astala and Phaedra.
"I got to the stage where I thought, 'I don't want to stay in this place anymore,'" he recalled. "'I'm not dissociating, hiding myself or escaping the reality of the situation. However, I'm not staying based in that trauma.'"
Thomas reveals having to look after his boys gave him a sense of purpose as he faced life as a single dad.
"At the time I was 23," he told the publication. "I had two children who needed to be taken care of and, in maybe early June 2014, I started to do that, and we're now here in 2016.
"I just made the decision to start looking after myself and I refused to lose myself and become a traumatized, grief-stricken single father who everyone's going to look at and think and feel all of these things about. And that's absolutely fine."
The singer turned to prescription medication to pull him through the tough time, insisting losing a spouse is "the hardest thing you'll ever do", but he credits therapy and transcendental meditation with helping him come to terms with his wife's death and face up to the future.
He also remembers the moment he laid eyes on Peaches, claiming it was love at first sight.
"That's what happens when you fall in love with someone," he smiled. "I understand you should be safe and guarded, but when you actually love someone, it happens straight away, doesn't it?"
Thomas has since moved on from the tragedy by launching a solo music career and striking up a romance with British model Daisy Lowe, a friend of Peaches, but he remains "very close" with his in-laws.
He describes his wife's dad, Boomtown Rats rocker Bob Geldof, as "very sweet" and thinks of Peaches' sisters, Pixie, 25, and Tiger Lily, 19, like his own siblings.
Thomas' interview to promote his debut solo album Bloom Forever, which includes a track called New Morning Comes, about the love and support he received following Peaches' death, emerges days before the second anniversary of her passing. He and the Geldofs will mark the sad occasion on Thursday (07Apr16).