Hillsborough campaigners, Trevor and Jenni Hicks have returned to the stadium for the first time together, since the tragedy, for a BBC Radio Merseyside documentary.
They lost their two teenage daughters in the disaster, which saw 96 Liverpool fans unlawfully killed.
Since that day, the couple, now divorced, have been two of the most prominent Hillsborough campaigners. Despite that, they admitted that they’d never really talked about their own experiences.
In fact, Trevor said that he’d always thought that Jenni blamed him for their girls’ deaths, to which Jenni responded: “I never, ever have and still don’t.”
“The last time we were at that ground together was obviously the day of the Hillsborough disaster. Strange enough as a couple we never talked about our own experiences because our group was formed very, very quickly and I guess we were into the 96 and it’s not deemed appropriate just to talk about your own experiences especially with Trevor being chair. And then we split up a couple of years later,” she told BBC Radio Merseyside.
“Sadly our marriage broke down because of all the stresses and strains of it. So you never really had the opportunity to talk about it in such great detail and that’s what going back together did.
“To have Trevor take me around and show me approximately where he was standing on the day, his movements, where the girls where, it really completed a picture for me. This is how it was on the day, this is where we were, and filled in some of the gaps really.
“There was this strong need from Trevor to show me. We moved around a lot. Once he started he had this huge need. I could see it must have been cathartic for him as well.”
Programme-makers have recorded their journey since the very start of the inquests, including the day they gave evidence in front of the jury.
It also features interviews with key eye-witnesses, including those who tried to save their daughters, Sarah and Vicki.
“One of the things I can never accept is the waste. They were both bright girls, had a lot in front of them,” added Trevor.
“That’s the thing I find the hardest. Why both of them? Out of 50,000 people we had to go and lose two of them – all that we had effectively. I know that sounds a bit selfish.
“Because not only did we lose the girls we lost ourselves as well.”
Hillsborough: Trevor & Jenni’s Journey will be broadcast on BBC Radio Merseyside on Tuesday May 3 at 7pm. It will also be available on www.bbc.co.uk/radiomerseyside/
It is narrated by Sue Johnston.
