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She was a sight for sore eyes. Three months after her partner of eight years, Bryan Randall, died following a secret battle with ALS<\/a>, Sandra Bullock<\/strong><\/a> was photographed in public \u2014 and she was grinning. Dressed in black leggings, sneakers and a bulky coat, the Oscar winner made her way down an L.A. sidewalk carrying two shopping bags on November 3. Amid her grief, says an insider, \u201cSandra has recently been able to begin smiling again.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s taken work. \u201cFacing Bryan\u2019s death is still very difficult,\u201d the insider tells Life & Style<\/em> exclusively. \u201cShe\u2019s doing what he always told her to do, though \u2014 breathing and taking life one day at a time.\u201d Sandra didn\u2019t expect to fall for the handsome former model-turned-photographer after she hired him to document her son Louis\u2019 fifth birthday party in 2005. \u201cAfter all the heartache she\u2019s experienced,\u201d including her brutal 2010 divorce from cheating husband Jesse James<\/strong>, 54, \u201cBryan was someone she never thought she\u2019d find,\u201d explains the insider. \u201cThey were perfect for each other. Now Sandra feels like she\u2019s starting over again at 59.\u201d<\/p>\n Two years ago, Sandra publicly declared Bryan \u201cthe love of my life.\u201d So it\u2019s understandable that she\u2019s struggled to come to terms with losing the partner she\u2019s called \u201ca saint,\u201d a \u201cbeautiful human\u201d and \u201ca good man.\u201d Sandra \u201chasn\u2019t fully processed it all. It\u2019s still very raw. She dealt with his care and all of the stress that came along with that, and it wasn\u2019t easy,\u201d says the insider of Bryan\u2019s three-year battle with ALS, a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, before it took his life at age 57. \u201cShe\u2019s not in self-care mode yet \u2014 she\u2019s still trying to protect and comfort her family.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, Sandra\u2019s kids, Louis, 13, and Laila, 11<\/a>, have been her priority these last few months. \u201cWhile it hasn\u2019t been easy for her to stay strong, she\u2019s determined to pick up the pieces for her children<\/a>,\u201d shares the insider. \u201cLaila and Louis adored Bryan and continue to mourn the only father figure they really had.\u201d The kids \u201cwere extremely close to Bryan,\u201d adds the insider. \u201cIt\u2019s been very difficult for them, but Sandra\u2019s been there every moment.\u201d<\/p>\n She\u2019s ensuring they work through their loss in the healthiest way possible. \u201cThey\u2019re getting the support they need, which includes family therapy,\u201d says the insider. There are reminders of Bryan all over the house \u2014 photographs, things he\u2019s built for the kids: \u201cEverywhere you look you see Bryan,\u201d notes the insider. \u201cAnd Sandra believes in talking about Bryan, opening up about their feelings toward him, how they miss him and how they\u2019ll keep his memory alive.\u201d<\/p>\n They\u2019ll be doing that during the upcoming holiday season, too. Sandra knows \u201cit\u2019s going to feel empty without him around,\u201d says the insider, especially this first year, so she\u2019s \u201cplanning to make Thanksgiving and Christmas special with little tributes to Bryan. He loved the holidays and always helped the kids with decorating.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the insider, Bryan\u2019s adult daughter from a previous relationship, Skylar<\/strong>, will be welcome to join the actress, Louis and Laila. \u201cSandra and Skylar are close,\u201d reveals the insider. \u201cThey bonded pretty quickly after she and Bryan got together, and she\u2019ll always be a part of the family.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2022, Sandra revealed plans to take a lengthy hiatus from Hollywood \u2014 at least five years, she said \u2014 so she could spend more time with Louis and Laila. \u201cI just want to be 24\/7 with my babies and my family,\u201d she explained, promising she\u2019d return to acting and producing \u201cwhen I\u2019m done being a mom.\u201d The world now knows she also took the break to be with Bryan, who wanted to keep his health battle private. \u201cShe was devoted to him, and when he got sicker, she put her career on hold,\u201d confirms the insider. \u201cNow her friends are trying to get her back into work mode, if only to keep her busy.\u201d<\/p>\n Pals are also hopeful for a day when Sandra can open her heart again. \u201cThey want her to eventually put herself back out there, because we\u2019re all deserving of love,\u201d says the insider. \u201cBut it\u2019s still too soon to bring that up. Dating is the last thing on her mind. Bryan is in her thoughts at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n And he likely always will be. \u201cSandra\u2019s heart has been shattered by the loss of Bryan,\u201d acknowledges the insider. \u201cRight now, she\u2019s just learning to live again.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nFocused on Family<\/h2>\n
Moving Forward<\/h2>\n