A young mom has revealed how her life has been “turned upside down” after the tragic loss of her fiance, who recently died by suicide while struggling with cost-of-living pressures.
Rachel Keily, 33, said her partner of seven years, Matt Worrall, lived with mental health challenges.
But after silently battling with “financial stress,” Worrall took his own life on April 2, 2025, leaving behind his devastated partner and their 15-month-old son, Henry.
In the months before his sudden death, the 36-year-old service locator had not shown any “signs” that he was unwell, Keily said, explaining that the doting dad was still eating and sleeping and had kept up his routine of going to work and the gym each day.
“When he had been unwell in the past, there had been signs, but coming up to this it didn’t mimic that, it didn’t look like that,” the grieving mom of one told news.com.au.
“He seemed, if anything, a bit stressed about finances because of the cost of living, but he told me he was fine, he was still going to work, doing everything as normal.
“We’d been talking about the weekend coming up, as we were going to go camping at Easter. But now everything has changed.”
The loss of her partner has left Keily to care for son Henry alone as well as the burden of looking after their joint financial responsibilities.
She said the salary she earns from her four-day-a-week admin job isn’t enough to cover the $2,684 mortgage repayment on their Melbourne home, located about an hour north of the city.
“I can’t own this house anymore, I cannot afford the mortgage on my own at all, so it’s a huge financial strain,” she shared.
“When we moved into the house three years ago, the repayment was $1,560, so it has almost doubled.
“Things were tight when there was two of us, it feels impossible now.”
According to the latest lending indicators from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the average mortgage for owner-occupier dwellings is $400,873 as of September 2024.
Compared to the same month last year, the average mortgage has increased by $27,003 or 7.2 percent.
This means the average monthly mortgage repayment is around $3,863, though it varies from state to state.
Renters are not faring better, with the median national rental price soaring above $374.58 per week, and according to financial comparison website Finder, a staggering 42 percent of Aussies are living paycheck to paycheck.
Following Worrall’s death, friends and family have rallied to help support the devastated family through the financial hardship, with a GoFundMe page raising over $24,971 to assist with expenses.
“I hadn’t even considered creating a fundraiser, I assumed I’d have to move out, but when I posted in a local community group asking for realtor resources, people came together to help,” Keily said.
“It never occurred to me, and I certainly didn’t imagine we’d raise so much. It’s given me some breathing space in a very difficult time.
“I know Henry and I can’t stay in our home forever, we can’t afford it, but to be able to buy some time so we can grieve and process what has happened. I’m so grateful.”
As the family prepare to say goodbye to the loving partner and father, Keily paid tribute to her late fiance, and called on others to be vigilant for those suffering in silence.
“Henry has lost his dad at such a young age, it’s unimaginable,” she said.
“Matt was such a present person in the family, he did all of our cooking, he wasn’t a regular kind of dad who takes a step back, he was very involved.
“He didn’t bat an eyelid at doing something to make your life easier.”
She added: “Losing him has turned our lives upside down. I don’t understand, I don’t know what our future looks like anymore, every dream we had as a family has disappeared.
“I hope Matt’s death can help raise awareness about suicide prevention, I just wish we could have helped, that he spoke up.”
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
