Hannah Longley, the sister of Emily Longley who was murdered in England, has spoken out about the seven years since the death - and how she has had to start from scratch in rebuilding her life.
"This is never going to hurt any less but you are going to learn to deal with it and it is going to make you stronger," Hannah told TVNZ's Re:
"There is so many things I would have liked to have said to myself seven years ago. I would say you can get through it and it's going to be the hardest thing you're ever going to do."
Emily Longley was killed by her boyfriend.
It has been seven years since Emily Longley was killed by her boyfriend Elliot Turner.
Turner, 20, was found guilty of strangling the 17-year-old in a jealous rage at his parents' home in Bournemouth, England.
Emily was born in Britain but her family emigrated to New Zealand when she was 9 and she was raised in Auckland.
She had returned to live with her grandparents in Bournemouth, to study for a business national diploma at Brockenhurst College, Hants, and worked part-time at Top Shop in Bournemouth.
Elliot Turner and Emily Longley.
Turner's father, wealthy jeweller Leigh Turner, 54, and healthcare assistant mother Anita, 51, were also found guilty of covering up the murder.
"Grief, obviously it is a massive process. Some days, it is definitely still there. It isn't as intrusive and invasive but I don't think it is something that ever goes away ever," Hannah said.
Emily and Hannah's father, Mark, wrote in the Herald in 2015 about the terrible toll losing his daughter had on him. He spoke as part of Herald series on domestic violence.
"Here is the thing about death, it sucks. It doesn't matter if it is your child, your partner or your 100-year-old grandmother - it sucks. That a person is there one day and not the next, well, it is not something we can deal with easily.
"All anniversaries are hard. Birthdays are hard. Christmas is hard. Easter is also tough because it was the last time I really spent time with her," Mark Longley said.
Most of all he missed seeing the woman she would have become, he told the Herald.
"I miss seeing the life she was denied unfold. We had a brief glimpse of the woman she was becoming and I was so proud of her.
• Shakti: Providing specialist cultural services for African, Asian and Middle Eastern women and their children. Crisisline 24/7 0800 742 584
• Ministry of Justice: www.justice.govt.nz/family-justice/domestic-violence
• National Network of Stopping Violence: www.nnsvs.org.nz
• White Ribbon: Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women, focusing this year on sexual violence and the issue of consent. www.whiteribbon.org.nz
