John Legend on why he was "hesitant" to share details of tragic stillbirth

Photo credit: ANGELA WEISS - Getty Images
Photo credit: ANGELA WEISS - Getty Images
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Earlier this month John Legend and Chrissy Teigen announced they are expecting another child, two years on from suffering a tragic stillbirth. Now, as he and his wife look forward to welcoming another baby, Legend has been reflecting on their loss and their decision to go public with their grief.

"We are shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about, the kind of pain we’ve never felt before," Teigen said on social media in October 2020 after the couple lost their son, Jack. "We were never able to stop the bleeding and give our baby the fluids he needed, despite bags and bags of blood transfusions. It just wasn’t enough."

At the time, the heartbreaking images made headlines and ignited much-needed conversations around baby loss and grief – something which Legend acknowledged in an interview with BBC Radio 4 this week.

"I was hesitant to share it," the musician said of the heartbreaking photos Teigen posted to her Instagram. "But I think Chrissy was really right. Way more people than anybody realises go through this and they think they are alone."

Legend continued: "It was a really powerful, wise decision by Chrissy to share it."

As for how he and his wife have handled their grief, the 43-year-old said that "when you feel broken, there’s no real comfort and you’re always going to feel that loss. It kind of spreads over time, so it doesn’t feel as heavy, but you’ll never forget it."

Announcing the exciting news that a new addition will be joining their family, Teigen shared a photo of her growing baby bump with 38.8 million Instagram followers and said: "The last few years have been a blur of emotions to say the least, but joy has filled our home and hearts again."

She went on, "We have another on the way. Every appointment I’ve said to myself, 'ok if it’s healthy today I’ll announce' but then I breathe a sigh of relief to hear a heartbeat and decide I’m just too nervous still.

"I don’t think I’ll ever walk out of an appointment with more excitement than nerves but so far, everything is perfect and beautiful and I’m feeling hopeful and amazing. Ok phew it’s been very hard keeping this in for so long!"

If you're looking for support or more information about premature births, stillbirths or miscarriage, Tommy's have a free helpline 0800 0147 800 (open 9-5, Monday to Friday). There's also a Facebook group.


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