Amanda Holden pays tribute to son Theo, 14 years after her devastating stillbirth
Amanda Holden poignantly commemorated the 14th anniversary of her son Theo's passing by lighting a candle in his memory. The Britain's Got Talent judge, 53, was devastated back in 2011 when Theo died in the womb.
On February 1, she shared an image of a lit candle to honour her son, posting on Instagram: "Our beautiful boy would have been 14 today." Amanda has previously opened up about her harrowing experience in an effort to raise awareness of stillbirths.
Three years ago, she told Heart Radio that she was completely terrified about telling her eldest daughter Lexi, now 19, with the traumatic ordeal propelling her into a 'surreal out-of-body experience'. "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," she said, as per a previous Mirror report.
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"Often that's not thought about, it's little things like that." She added: "I just remember hearing this woman just screaming and screaming and then it was actually — it was me, I realised it was me that was screaming.
"It was the most surreal, out-of-body experience and I was actually calling my daughter's name because I was just terrified about what to tell Lexi at the time." While Amanda initially resisted to hold Theo, she mustered the courage and eventually said goodbye.
She continued: "I held him in my arms and I said goodbye, basically. But I couldn't have done it without the incredible team around us. My husband was so strong and so amazing but they got him through it too."
Defined as 'a baby born dead after 24 completed weeks of pregnancy', a stillbirth is different to a miscarriage, which occurs when a baby dies prior to this point. Tragically, one in every 250 births in England results in stillbirth, NHS data suggests.
Although these deaths are frequently related to placenta complications, birth defects or the mother's health, some cases have no obvious cause. "If your baby has died, you may be able to wait for labour to start naturally or your labour may be induced," the NHS states.
"If your health is at risk, the baby may need to be delivered as soon as possible. It's rare for a stillborn baby to be delivered by caesarean section."
"If your health is at risk, the baby may need to be delivered as soon as possible. It's rare for a stillborn baby to be delivered by caesarean section."
A gruelling year followed for Amanda, encountering another harrowing ordeal during the delivery of Hollie, her second daughter. Suffering a severe haemorrhage, Amanda needed multiple blood transfusions and was left fighting for her life.
Thankfully, her and her now 13-year-old daughter Hollie survived the ordeal. On Good Morning Britain in 2020, she recalled: "It has been well documented that Chris and I had a baby boy who was born sleeping at an NHS hospital...And then the year after he was born I delivered Hollie, and then went into a coma.
"So that was pretty traumatic, and then three years ago my sister had a car accident that she has fully recovered from now. But all those incidents were massively trying and the NHS were there to support us all the way through."
*If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Sands (stillbirth and neonatal death charity). You can call them on 0808 164 3332 or email helpline@sands.org.uk