Amanda Holden remembers late son Theo on what would have been his 11th birthday
Amanda Holden has shared a touching tribute to her late son, Theo, on what would have been his 11th birthday. The presenter, 50, reflected on the milestone by sharing a print of her son's footprints alongside a moving caption.
"You would have been 11 today. I'm still grateful you chose us for your journey... #Theo [heart emoji]," she wrote.
Friends quickly shared messages of support for the Britain's Got Talent judge with Ruth Langsford writing: "Sending you love & a huge hug."
Meanwhile Sarah Parish commented: "Sending love and strength to you my darling" and Lisa Faulkner added: "Sending so much love to you."
Other fans shared their own tragic experiences of baby loss.
"Sending love Amanda, our boy would have been 10 in April, we have their hearts forever in ours," one user shared.
"Happy Heavenly Birthday," another wrote. "I really hope all our babies having fun up there together. Lots of love to you and your family."
"From one bereaved mummy to another, I am sending all my love Amanda," another user commented. "Thinking of Theo on his 11th birthday."
Watch: Amanda Holden said goodbye to son at NHS unit
Charity Stillbirth and Neonatal Death, or Sands has showed its support for the star, while also thanking her for continuing to share her story.
“Our thoughts are with Amanda, Theo and her family on this difficult day," Clea Harmer, chief executive at Sands told Yahoo UK.
"No one who has been through this pain ever forgets their much-loved babies, and Sands is here for anyone whose baby has died in pregnancy, at birth or during infancy. Marking anniversaries, saying their names and keeping our babies’ memories alive in our hearts can help grow a life around grief and help us to heal."
Harmer goes on to say that Holden opening up about her own experience can be an important step in breaking down the silence surrounding stillbirth and baby loss.
“We are so very grateful to Amanda for helping to continue to talk about Theo and let other people whose babies have died know it’s OK to speak out," she says.
"The sad reality is that stigma surrounding pregnancy loss and baby death leaves many parents feeling isolated, so it helps enormously when someone in the public eye speaks out as it lets everyone affected know they are not alone.”
The Britain's Got Talent judge, who shares daughters, Lexi, 16, and Hollie, ten, with husband Chris Hughes, was left devastated over a decade ago when her little boy died in the womb.
Read more: Mum shares heartbreaking pictures of stillborn birth to help with grief
In July 2020, Holden spoke about the traumatic experience of losing Theo in the BBC documentary Dear NHS Superstars.
She said: “Theo was put into a little room so his body could be preserved and we could go and see him as much or as little as we wanted.
“Jackie (her midwife and friend) talked to me about the keepsakes we could have, to remind ourselves of Theo forever. We got his footprints and a little bit of his hair and the blanket he was born in."
Talking about the devastating moment she discovered Theo had no heartbeat, she said: “An obstetrician was coming past and Jackie said to the obstetrician, 'Please can you go in, I can't hear the patient's baby's heartbeat', and then I heard this guttural screaming.
"It was the most bizarre thing that's ever happened to me because it was me. I didn't know I was doing it. I had no control over myself, I thought it was another person making the noise."
Holden has previously revealed how she turned to hypnotherapy to cope with the grief of losing her little boy.
“There is not a day that goes by when I don’t think about Theo, especially when a new school year begins," she told The Sun.
Read more: One mum's journey to acceptance after stillbirth
“But after we first lost him, Chris and I were diagnosed with PTSD so we went and had some therapy about that, as anyone would.
“Chris was terribly British about it, went once and was like, ‘Right, I’m cured,’ whereas I continued, and then went to this amazing clinic run by a woman called Zita West, for hypnotherapy.”
Holden added: “I just felt like everything was my fault, and I felt so responsible – what did I do wrong?”
She said she was convinced that without the treatment, she wouldn’t have had the “confidence” to try for another baby the following year.
Watch: Duchess of Cambridge meets bereaved families
Stillbirth the facts
A stillbirth is when a baby dies before or during labour after 24 completed weeks of pregnancy.
According to the stillbirth charity Tommy’s, in 2020, one in every 225 pregnancies ended in stillbirth, that means 2,638 babies were stillborn in 2020 in the UK.
Meanwhile, figures published in 2020 by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the number of babies who are stillborn or die within 4 weeks of birth in the UK has fallen to an average of 13 babies a day - that’s 296 fewer baby deaths in 2020 than in 2019.
According to Sands, after decades of stagnation, the UK’s stillbirth rate is now falling and the downward trend has now been sustained for seven years.
Sands says this is the result of a concerted national drive to reduce stillbirths, with ongoing government and NHS initiatives starting to have an effect.
Read more: Amanda Holden celebrates lookalike daughter's 16th birthday with photo: 'Total mini-me'
Why do stillbirths happen?
According to one study of 1064 pregnancies, around 60% of stillbirths are unexplained, which means doctors cannot tell parents why their baby died.
The same study ranked the following reasons for the stillbirths that could be explained:
- 17% caused by ascending infection
- 12% caused by placenta factors, including placental abruption and pre-eclampsia
- 5% caused by congenital abnormality
- 2% caused by fetal growth restriction
- 2% caused by complications with twins
Where to go for help
The Sands National Helpline provides a safe, confidential place for anyone who has been affected by the death of a baby.
Sands' free Helpline is available on 0808 164 3332 10am to 3pm Monday to Friday and 6-9pm Tuesday and Thursday evenings. You can also email helpline@sands.org.uk for support. www.sands.org.uk/support
For information and support following a stillbirth or late miscarriage you can also visit: Tommy's
Tommy’s offers a helpline run by midwives who have experience in talking about pregnancy loss and have had bereavement training. Call 0800 0147 800, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
The charity Cruse Bereavement Care offers a helpline, face-to-face and group support following the death of someone close. Their helpline is open Monday to Friday 9.30am – 5pm on 0808 808 1677.
For more information visit https://www.cruse.org.uk/bereavement-services/get-help.
