break it (to one) gently

To deliver or reveal bad news to one in a calm manner so that one does not get upset. Sarah's been working on this project for months, so let's try to break it to her gently that the bosses have decided to scrap it. I was hoping I could break it gently, but I guess there's no other way of saying this. Jeff, you're fired. How am I going to break it to him gently that Molly doesn't want anything to do with him anymore?