Bevin Prince is still grappling with the death of her husband, William Friend, who was struck by lightning in July.
The “One Tree Hill” alum described the incident as “an absolute living nightmare” during her first interview since his tragic passing.
“It was like any other day that we’d done a million times. The storm was far away, we’re on the boat, everything’s fine,” the actress recalled on Friday’s episode of the “1 on 1 With Jon Evans” podcast.
“And then in an instant, everything has changed,” she added. “There’s no normal, and there’s no playbook for it.”
Prince, 40, told listeners that there was a bounty hunter, a nurse and a military veteran on the boat next to them, who all “responded so fast” to the incident.
However, Friend couldn’t be saved, and was pronounced dead in an ambulance shortly after the incident near Masonboro Island in North Carolina. He was 33.
WECT6 News, who was first to report the news, revealed that emergency services attempted to resuscitate him for 20 minutes.
“In my mind, there was absolutely nothing that could have been done. And I have to accept that this is larger than me and my understanding at this time,” Prince said.
She and Friend tied the knot in 2016 and relocated to Wrightsville Beach to be closer to family amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Prince, who is now a fitness trainer at the studio she opened with her husband in 2019, said her former “OTH” co-stars Hilarie Burton and Lee Norris were among the friends supporting her through the tragedy.
Instagram/@bevinaprince
Instagram/@bevinaprince
“Will was the most fiercely loyal person I’ve ever met in my life, and I learned so much from him by watching how he treats people, and how he shows up for them,” Prince explained.
“Every single person was there to show up for him and me, and so you’ve just got to get up.”
Although the way she grieves her husband shifts from “day to day,” Prince said she is continuing to look ahead.
“Some days, it doesn’t feel OK, and I think the thing I remind myself is, I have two options. I can stay here on this planet, or I cannot, and that’s not an option for me,” she said.
“I knew when Will passed, I said, ‘OK, I was fortunate enough to experience the kind of love and support and partnership that I know so many people will never feel, so my life now a service.
“I’m going to do everything I can to serve the people in my community and the people that work with me and my friends and my family and I will continue to show up and do that.”