‘A part of me will always be with her’: Brighton mum living with incurable cancer creates digital legacy for her teen daughter

A Brighton-based single mum living with incurable cancer is creating a digital legacy for her teenage daughter and loved ones. Former TV presenter Sophie Blake, 52, has been living with incurable stage four cancer for three years. Since her diagnosis, her thoughts have increasingly turned to what she will leave behind for her daughter Maya […]

A Brighton-based single mum living with incurable cancer is creating a digital legacy for her teenage daughter and loved ones.

Former TV presenter Sophie Blake, 52, has been living with incurable stage four cancer for three years. Since her diagnosis, her thoughts have increasingly turned to what she will leave behind for her daughter Maya and those closest to her.

Sophie is a familiar face to millions through her work with Sky Sports, the BBC, ITV and Eurosport. She is also an advocate for Make 2nds Count, a charity supporting people living with secondary breast cancer.

“Although I plan to stick around for some time yet, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I could capture my story – for Maya, my mum, my nieces, future grandkids and friends,” Sophie said.

“I’d started writing things down in notebooks, but it’s hard to find the time or bring it all together, and my ideas kept changing. I hadn’t really been able to think it through properly.”

That changed after a chance encounter with fellow Brighton local Nick Annetts. Nick lost his own mother to secondary breast cancer and, while she made sure he was looked after financially, he was left without anything personal or emotional to hold on to after her passing.

During their conversation, Sophie learned about formyENCORE, a new digital platform created by Nick to help people preserve memories, stories and messages for loved ones to access after they have passed.

The platform uses AI-supported guiding questions to help users reflect on and record different stages of their lives for family and friends to look back on. It also allows users to create messages for future occasions, such as birthdays or weddings, that they may not be around to see.

“It’s like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders,” Sophie said.

“I want Maya to have something personal that makes her smile, remember our traditions, laugh at our inside jokes and feel how loved she is. Even when I’m not here, I want her to feel that a part of me always will be.

“It feels like I’m creating a time capsule of my life for her and everyone I care about to hold onto.”

Sophie has already begun recording memories of family traditions and favourite films, including Bridget Jones, Paddington 2 and her annual re-watch of The Muppet Christmas Carol with Maya.

She is also revisiting stories from her youth, including her teenage crush on Miami Vice star Don Johnson, who she later met in a flustering encounter while broadcasting from the Super Bowl.

The platform also includes a charity donation feature, which Sophie plans to use to continue supporting Make 2nds Count even when she is no longer here.

Nick Annetts said: “When my mum passed, I was well looked after financially, but I had nothing personal or emotional to hold onto – none of those things that captured who she truly was and the life she lived, like her favourite songs or any special childhood memories.

“That’s part of the reason I created formyENCORE; to help people preserve memories for themselves and leave something meaningful for those they care about.”

He added: “The platform is launching first in the UK, and seeing how Sophie, a fellow Brighton local, is using it to capture a part of herself to leave behind for her daughter has been incredibly moving.

“After losing my mum, having that kind of comfort would have meant so much, and I hope it can do the same for others.”