Katherine Ryan praises Meghan Markle for opening up about miscarriage
Watch: Meghan reveals miscarriage heartache
Meghan Markle has won praise from comedian Katherine Ryan after opening up about her tragic miscarriage last summer.
Meghan, 39, shared her family’s heartbreak in a piece for the New York Times in November, explaining the moment she had realised she had miscarried her second child.
Social media was flooded for support for the Duchess of Sussex and her husband Prince Harry, and now Ryan has added her own message.
She explained she also suffered a miscarriage in early 2020 and had felt “shame” at being excited for a second child.
Speaking to The Mirror, Ryan, 37 said: “By the time Chrissy Teigen and Meghan Markle came out and shared their stories I had dealt with my own experience, but I definitely felt very hopeful and encouraged because I know they reach so many families.
“That conversation is evolving and I’m so glad to see it evolving. Ultimately it’s for the best and it will help a lot of people, especially when they’re still going to scans alone.
“When you’re pregnant for the first time - I would hate to burst women’s bubble, to take that naivety away from them - it can be so joyful. At 25 years old with my daughter I hadn't considered anything bad might happen to me, I went through my pregnancy ‘Lalala’ and that’s a wonderful feeling.
“But once you experience a loss like that I don’t think you ever feel the same way with a pregnancy.”
Read more: Appeal for 'home footage' of Princess Diana for 'landmark theatrical documentary' of her life
Ryan said she found out during a scan that there was no heartbeat, but it took weeks before she lost the baby. She said she continued working during that time, before the pandemic hit.
Ryan has a daughter, Violet, aged 11, who she regularly references in her comedy routines.
The comedian and actor married her childhood sweetheart Bobby Koostra after meeting him again after several years while she was in Canada, filming for the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are.
Despite starring in her show The Duchess on Netflix, Ryan said she would not be keen to play a real royal in the streaming giant’s The Crown.
She said: “The Duchess was a heightened version of my stage persona. But you won’t be seeing me on The Crown – I don’t think they had lip filler back then anyway.”
Model Chrissy Teigen also praised Meghan for sharing the story of her miscarriage, and the article led to plaudits from baby loss charities too.
Harry and Meghan welcomed baby Archie in May 2019 and decided by the end of that year that they wanted to step back from their roles as senior royals.
They have since talked about wanting to protect their son, and have even started legal proceedings on his behalf when they deemed his privacy to be invaded.
The trio now live in California.
