LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Sandra Bullock is still grieving the loss of her longtime partner Bryan Randall who died in August after a three-year battle with ALS.
The 59-year-old actress is facing her first holiday season without him which she expects to be “especially painful”, according to a source who talked to InTouch Weekly.
Sandra Bullock served as primary caretaker for Bryan Randall
The source told the magazine that Bullock was “as good as married” to Randall, the only father figure for her two adopted children, Louis, 13, and Laila, 11.
She put her entire career on hold to serve as his primary caretaker, along with professional nurses, during his hidden struggle with the degenerative disease.
“She’s struggling to stay strong, and picking up the pieces for her children,” the source said, adding “The last few years have been incredibly stressful and heartbreaking for her and Sandra hasn’t yet fully processed everything but she’s slowly learning to manage her grief.”
Sandra Bullock is busy worrying about everyone else and her heart is shattered
The source further said, “She’s been so busy worrying about everyone else that she’s not quite in self-care mode yet and her heart is shattered."
“There have been a lot of private tears, but she’s trying to do what he always told her to do: Breathe and take it one day at a time.”
Sandra Bullock is encouraged by celebrity friends to get back to work
The insider also revealed that several of Bullock’s celebrity friends have been “encouraging her to get back to work”, as a way of coping with her grief and finding a new purpose.
Some of them have even offered her potential projects to join, such as director Sam Raimi, who is reportedly interested in casting her for his new comedy horror film 'Send Help.'
Additionally, Matthew McConaughey has been working on a new television sequel for their 1996 film 'A Time to Kill', “and he’d love to write her into it,” the source dished.
The source noted noted her good friend Reese Witherspoon is also eager to include Bullock in an upcoming project, the report mentioned.
Sandra Bullock keeps Bryan Randall’s memory alive with her children
The source said that Bullock and her children are all in therapy and that she encourages them to talk about Randall often to keep his memory alive.
Randall, whom Bullock once described as “very Christian”, believed “he was going to a better place,” the source said, “and they all like to think he’s watching over them.”
The source added that Bullock appreciates every single moment she has with her children and knows that she has to move forward "and live her own life to the fullest for their sake."
“That’s what Bryan would have wanted for all of them,” the source concluded.