Encore: A 'hopeless romantic' on divorce, dating apps, and curing a broken heart

After a painful divorce, Charlotte Ree began to piece her broken heart back together by cooking for her neighbours (R)

Charlotte Ree grew up in a family full of love, but with its own particular challenges. 

Her mum struggled with mental illness, which meant Charlotte grew up very quickly.

Charlotte met the man who would become her husband when she was 19. Within a few years, they married, but money became a major source of pain in the relationship.

One night on a boat, Charlotte realised her marriage was over.

Divorce was a devastating turning point for her, and at the same time she found herself living alone in Sydney's lockdown.

Eventually Charlotte decided to find a unique way out of her heartbreak; by cooking for her neighbours.  

Some time later, she also found the courage to look for love again.

This episode of Conversations was produced by Nicola Harrison, the Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney.

It explores family history, mental illness, relationships, looking for love, love stories, modern love, divorce, recovering after divorce, cooking, baking, unusual family stories, strange family history, family history, lockdown, Covid lockdown, loneliness, solitude, eating, starvation, nourishment, cooking for one, cooking neighbours, baking cakes, cakes, cake batter, broken heart, mending a broken heart, food as love, finding love after divorce, finding love again, healing from a broken heart, men and women, dating apps, life on the dating apps, strange stories from dating apps, recovery from heartbreak, cooking as a cure for pain, cooking for love, cooking for your life, cooking, mothers, complicated mothers, complicated mother daughter relationships, unconditional love, acceptance, accepting your parents.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.