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Facebook leader Sheryl Sandberg finds love again

After losing her husband in a freak accident and dealing with ”overwhelming” grief, top tech exec Sheryl Sandberg has found love with a new man.

Sheryl Sandberg on What Companies Can Do to Lean In

Sheryl Sandberg is no longer single, thanks to her former brother-in-law.

The COO of Facebook, 49, attended a Garth Brooks concert in Idaho on Sunday with her new boyfriend, Tom Bernthal. Bernthal is the co-founder and CEO of Kelton Global.

According to the New York Post, the “Lean In” author and Bernthal, 45, were set up by Rob Goldberg, the brother of Sandberg’s late husband Dave Goldberg, who died while vacationing in 2015.

Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook Inc., has found love again after the death of her husband, and a breakup last year. Picture: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook Inc., has found love again after the death of her husband, and a breakup last year. Picture: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Silicon Valley entrepreneur was found lying near a treadmill, and was at first believed to have suffered head trauma, but later was found to have passed away from heart-related causes.

“Tom is Rob’s best friend, and it is really special that Dave’s brother was the one to connect them,” a source told People.

“He’s this really nice, down to earth guy. They’re both devoted parents. It’s a nice thing that it has worked out so well.”

The brother of Sheryl Sandberg’s late husband set her up with his friend Tom Bernthal and they went to a Garth Brooks concert together. Picture: Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP
The brother of Sheryl Sandberg’s late husband set her up with his friend Tom Bernthal and they went to a Garth Brooks concert together. Picture: Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP

According to People, the couple even posed for photos with Brooks, 57, and his wife Trisha Yearwood.

Sandberg’s new relationship comes after her split with video game mogul Robert Kotick, whom she dated for three years. They got together in early 2016.

Prior to that she was known for talking at length about her intense loneliness and dealing with her grief over the sudden death of her husband, Dave.

Sandberg described her isolation after Dave’s death. Dave died in a gym accident over two years ago.

Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, left, and deceased husband Dave Goldberg, CEO of Survey Monkey, in 2011. Picture: AP Photo/Julie Jacobson
Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, left, and deceased husband Dave Goldberg, CEO of Survey Monkey, in 2011. Picture: AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

“When something really hard happens, we basically stop talking, and this is not after death and loss, it’s anything really hard, so if you want to silence a room, get diagnosed with cancer and mention it. Have your father or brother or mother go to prison, lose your job. Experience a death or a major loss. When the hardest things happen in our lives we actually get more silent.”

But not anymore!

“Everyone is happy for her, because she deserves to be happy, and Bobby is great,” a source told the Post’s Page Six when Sandberg and Kotick, 56, first got together.

This story first appeared in the New York Post and is republished with permission.

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/technology/facebook/facebook-leader-sheryl-sandberg-finds-love-again/news-story/5c836906718581f3b5f02cc5fc0da162