Amanda Holden is calling for better education after revealing she felt like a 'gameshow contestant' following a devastating stillbirth. The Britain's Got Talent judge said she was told she was 'going home empty handed' after the tragic loss of her son Theo at 28 weeks of pregnancy in 2011.
Amanda is raising money for the baby loss charity Aching Arms with Amanda's 3 Peaks Challenge, scaling the highest mountains of Wales, England and Scotland and climbing 10,476 feet in 24 hours on Thursday October 6. Heart Breakfast radio presenter Amanda bravely spoke about her own experience as she was joined on-air by Aching Arms service user Ross Sullivan.
Amanda, 51, said: “I will never forget when I went through something, I would imagine is very similar to yours. We lost our baby Theo at 28 weeks, and they very sensitively moved me into another room so I could deliver him without having to hear the lovely babies screaming on a normal ward.
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"But often that’s not thought about, it’s little things like that. I remember the lady afterwards as well when we went for a chat also said 'I know you’re going home empty handed' is what she said to me. So I felt like some sort of game show sort of contestant.
"So it’s all of that language that I know this charity will be helping people to avoid and educate them on how best to deal with something so awful. It’s just awful.”
On February 1 Amanda paid a moving tribute to Theo on what would have been his 11th birthday. She shared a message with her boy on her Instagram to say she's “still grateful” he chose her and her husband Chris Hughes.
She shared a photo of a pair of new-born footprints and wrote: “You would have been 11 today. I’m still grateful you chose us for your journey .. #Theo.”
When she was seven months pregnant, a scan revealed that Theo’s heart had stopped. Amanda, who also has two daughters Lexi, 16, and 10-year-old Hollie with her husband Chris Hughes, then underwent a caesarean procedure.
Her loss prompted her to set up Theo’s Hope Appeal in 2018, as part of Baby Loss Awareness Week, to provide special bereavement counsellors at all UK maternity units. Amanda previously trained as a midwife for the ITV documentary called Out Of My Depth in 2009.
Ross will be joining Amanda Holden on her three peaks challenge as one of ‘Mandy’s Mountaineers.' Aching Arms gives comfort bears to hospitals and hospices, for midwives and nurses to offer to bereaved parents in their care.
Along with the bears, Aching Arms also offers a support service to parents after their loss, whether it was during pregnancy, at birth or soon after. Ross has been a supporter of Aching arms since the loss of his own son Aaron in 2016.
Speaking to Amanda and co-host Jamie Theakston, Ross explained how Aching Arms supported him. “Aching Arms were amazing, we lost our son Aaron in August 2016, you’ve always got family and friends to support you, but to have somebody who has been through the same thing is completely different. To have that kind of support and understanding," he said. To donate visit thisisheart.co/amanda3peaks or text Amanda10, Amanda20 or Amanda30 to 70766.
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