Former Hollyoaks stars Claire Cooper and Emmett J Scanlan mark baby loss awareness week with touching posts
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Ex-Hollyoaks duo Claire Cooper and Emmett J Scanlan have spoken publicly for the first time about losing a child last year.
The couple, who welcomed son Ocean-Torin back in July of this year, opened up about their previous heartache in emotional messages on social media to mark baby loss awareness week
Related: Exclusive: Peaky Blinders' Emmett J Scanlan says season six is "so f**king strong"
Posting on their Instagram accounts yesterday (October 11), Claire spoke about her own personal health scare, explaining that she ended up "in a precarious situation strapped to machines & fighting" for her life after their baby's tragic death.
She wrote to her followers: "It's baby loss awareness week and although I wasn't quiet about our loss privately, I didn't share it with the public, mainly [because] I didn't have the words at that time & perhaps I still don't but if this post helps one family or person out there, perhaps my words were worth the wait...or not.
"We lost our little soul July 2019 the devastation was unreal, the day came when my body let go of what I'd fought so hard to keep. Little did we know that I myself would also end up in a precarious situation strapped to machines & fighting - it truly was hard enough losing our baby but to then fight for my own life was something else. I lost over a third of my blood & my recovery was painfully slow. Instantly anaemic & instantly heartbroken."
A post shared by Claire Cooper (@claire_e_cooper) on Oct 10, 2020 at 8:51am PDT
She continued: "I've spent over a decade of my life being constantly asked when I'd have children, it came from every angle, every opinion & voice chipped away at my armour until I was fractured & hurt.
"The last few yrs I retreated subconsciously just so I didn't have to have those conversations, I found comfort in those who never asked, it was wild how many ppl " didn't want me to miss out" but couldn't honour me with the respect of my own timeline & instead pressed theirs.
"So when we lost our little person we were devastated & quite honestly I was angry - I'd always wanted children but I was frightened & didn't need to explain that to anyone but I found that I was constantly left defending my ovaries & desires. I needed time to find my groove with my husband who btw never at any point put any pressure on me, we both knew we'd have a little person someday but not by society's standards but our own."
A post shared by Emmett J. Scanlan (@scandalous_13) on Oct 11, 2020 at 5:42am PDT
Emmett also wrote on his own page: "July of last year we lost our baby and in the process my wife was left fighting for her life.
"The trauma her body and mind went through in that year is beyond anything I can possibly comprehend. Helpless, all I could do was hold her hand. And once again, I fell in love just a little bit more."
The couple met on the Channel 4 soap, where they played Jacqui McQueen and Brendan Brady.
Sands supports anyone affected by the death of a baby. You can contact the Sands National Helpline on 0808 164 3332, or email helpline@sands.org.uk.
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