A new reporter has opened up about his abusive ex-partner who took her own life and the “stigma” of being a single father.

James Salt, pictured, has shared his story in a piece for the Derbyshire Times in a bid to encourage readers to celebrate the achievements of single parents.

James, who joined the Chesterfield-based Times as a community reporter in September, told how his family life had begun to “unravel” when his daughter Neve, now 11, was just a baby.

In his first-person piece, James went on to reflect on his time raising Neve and the unique challenges faced by single fathers, explaining how he has felt like an “outsider”.

Wrote James:  “It first started when I was sent a text message from [Neve’s] mum to come home in the middle of the day.

“She didn’t respond to my phone calls, so I went home and found her passed out on the sofa and my daughter had not been changed or fed. Her mum had been drinking wine.

“Our little world started to unravel, fairly quickly at this point. The drinking became worse day by day and the abusive behaviour towards me started.

“At this point I left and took my daughter with me, there were a few months where we tried to maintain a ‘normal’ relationship by co-parenting, but she clearly couldn’t cope.

“My daughter was only around a year old at this point, and for the next six years, she didn’t see her mum apart from a fleeting visit when she was at her grandparents.

“Then in 2018, I got a phone call, which was nothing unusual, I got regular calls from social services, but this one was to tell me she had taken her own life.”

Reflecting on the struggles faced by single dads, he went on: “Over the years I have reached out to her friends to see if they wanted to come around to play, and there’s always been an excuse, but it’s never a problem to go to theirs.

“Having spoken to other single dads, this is a common issue where other parents don’t feel comfortable with their child being supervised by a dad on his own.

James added: “I love being a dad, it has been difficult, changed my life in many beautiful ways, and while I would love to have that typical family unit, I have come to understand and respect what we have.

“We find ourselves stumbling through it sometimes, and now she is older, we are doing it together – the ‘almost’ teenage years and puberty have hit us like a brick wall, and it’s a learning process for us both.

“As long as there is love, you can succeed as a single dad and you are enough.

“If I was to give advice to myself back then, it would be to believe in yourself a little more, and if you can’t find a group where you fit in – make your own, there are bound to be others looking for the same thing.”

Speaking to HTFP about the reaction since the piece was published, James said: “The reaction to my story has been incredible. It’s something I haven’t openly talked about before, and so many people have commented and messaged me to share their views and stories.

“Single parenting still holds a lot of stigma, and while I don’t think being a single dad is any harder than being a single mum, it definitely has a unique set of experiences that you just don’t hear about in media, so it was nice to share my story and have it received so well.”

James also praised the Community News Project, funded by Facebook owner Meta, for giving him the opportunity to work as a journalist.

He added: “I never believed I could be a journalist, I don’t have a university degree or any qualifications really, but I saw an opportunity at the Derbyshire Times for a community reporter role which was supported by Meta.

“I applied not really thinking I would get anywhere, but here I am having my stories published online and in print every week.

“It’s a steep learning curve but I am enjoying it and the team at Derbyshire Times have been brilliant.