Rachel Bradley

**Rachel Bradley** was the wife of Adam Williams, and mother to their son Matthew.

Despite the many flaws in their relationship, the pair remained together for over five years before her early death.

## Early years

Rachel was born to parents Brian and Mary, and had one sister, Lucy.

She studied French at the University of Manchester, where she hastily married boyfriend Kris Bumstead in a drunken fleet of the moment. Despite their relationship not working out, the pair never divorced.

After graduating, she then spent a season working as a chalet girl in the French Alps. Whilst working in France she met best friend Karen Childs and the pair shortly moved back to England.

Karen settled with husband David Marsden, though Rachel could never find her perfect man and chose her work in the advertising industry over starting a family.

## Battle of the Boyfriends

In March 1997, Rachel's boyfriend Simon Atkinson announced he was moving to Hong Kong as part of a job promotion and ended their relationship. Rachel was heartbroken and Karen urged her to get back on the dating scene, though she was adamant on staying single.

One Saturday, whilst driving through a Tesco carpark, Rachel drove into the back of Adam Williams's car, though she blamed Adam and neither could decide who was to blame. Despite the frosty reception between the two, they was an obvious spark and the two swapped numbers for insurance purposes. Rachel wrote her name in the dirt on Adam's rear windscreen, though on his way back home it began to rain and the number was seemingly lost forever.

Devastated about losing her number, Adam raved to his best mates Pete and Jenny about Rachel and how she could've been "the one". Encouraged by Karen to contact Adam, Rachel reluctantly contacted him using his business card and the two arranged a date.

Whilst their countless dates were proving to be successful, Adam grew tired of Rachel not wanting to progress their relationship any further. After a horrific date at the theatre, Rachel took Adam by surprise and accepted his invitation to have a nightcap at his flat.

Despite finding Rachel's friendship group too smug and proper for him, Adam found humour in the dreadful social situation he found himself in at one of David and Karen's parties.

During a date in the city centre, walking around Castlefield Basin and the Merchant's Warehouse, Rachel made Adam make a vow to one day serenade her - in the nude, with a rose between his bum cheeks.

The first stint of their relationship was relatively short-lived, and following a disagreement over Rachel organising Adam's clothes, she found herself back in Simon's arms.

Whilst Adam sulked over her, and he knew the only thing he could do to win her affections would be to follow through with his earlier promise of serenading her. Arriving at Simon's swanky house on the Broadhurst Road, Adam caused trouble amongst the neighbours and promptly stripped off to sing "I've Got You Under My Skin" for Rachel - complete with a rose between his bum cheeks.

Impressed with Adam's efforts, Rachel declared her love for him and left Simon behind.

## Moving in with Adam

Nine months after the rose incident, Adam marked the anniversary of them first sleeping together by serenading her again, this time outside of her office, with a matriarchy band and a bunch of roses.