“Every time I miss Heath Ledger, I look at Matilda,” says Michelle Williams

Although the couple has split up, Michelle was distraught when he passed away in 2007 and has brought up little Matilda as a single mum in Brooklyn, New York ever since. Living each day with swarms of paparazzi surrounding her and Matilda’s every move, Michelle takes a comforting approach when explaining the media attention to her daughter.

“I tell her it’s because people really loved your daddy that they want to take your picture, to know you’re all right,” she explained.

Always pictured looking happy and relaxed, the mum and daughter duo are regularly seen doing the morning coffee run and lazy strolls across town. But things weren’t always so straight forward after the actor’s death.

Talking about coping with life after Heath, Michelle described herself as “seriously detached” and admits to struggling with her loss. “I would cry, nap, sit and stare, try to figure out what to make Matilda for dinner, talk to friends on the phone. I didn’t know if I could hold it together.”

The young mum-of-one, 29, tries to deflect attention away from Matilda but the reminder of her dad’s death faces them everyday. Michelle revealed that on one recent occasion Matilda was approached by a six-year-old girl who asked “What’s it like being famous? Are you so sad that your daddy died like Michael Jackson?”

In fact, a constant memory of Heath is never too far away as the couple’s daughter is the spitting image of her dad. She also surrounds Matilda with people who can keep Heath’s spirit alive. “Matilda can know her dad in so many ways, and so many of his friends who will be able to tell her stories. His friends, his family – they were a big part of his life, and they will be a big part of her life.”