North East reality TV star Charlotte Crosby has revealed she has suffered a second silent miscarriage.
The 36-year-old opened up about the heartbreak of losing a baby just five months after a previous pregnancy loss.
The Sunderland-born former Geordie Shore star, shared the news with her social media followers today (October 16) after being told at an eight-week scan that her baby’s heart had stopped beating.
Crosby, who shares daughters Alba and Pixi with her fiancé Jake Ankers, shared that the couple had been hoping to grow their family.
She wrote: “Last month, we got the news we’d been hoping for. We found out we were pregnant.”
Crosby told followers that the pregnancy brought "mixed emotions" of both happiness and fear after she suffered a silent miscarriage earlier in the year.
The 36-year-old continued: “It’s no secret that we’ve been trying to grow our family, so you can imagine the overwhelming happiness we felt when we saw the positive test.
“There are no words to describe how happy we were. Being a mother is, without a doubt, the greatest gift life has ever given me.”
Crosby shared an ultrasound image from the pregnancy, adding: "This was our six weeks five days! The moment we had been waiting for… that little heartbeat.”
The influencer said both she and Ankers “relaxed a little" at the six-week mark as her previous pregnancy had not reached that stage.
She said they began imagining life as a family of five, planning how they would tell their daughters and thinking about possible names.
She also described Ankers as "their rock," a source of support while they "kept themselves busy" between pregnancy scans.
Crosby wrote: "He held the fort, looked after us all, and filled the house with laughter and fun.”
However, at the eight-week scan, the couple received the news they had feared most. Their baby's heart had stopped beating, which Crosby explained "felt like someone had ripped our hearts out of our chests.
"We lost another baby, another silent miscarriage.”
Crosby wrote that her two daughters had helped her through the week following the loss.
She shared a photograph of Alba and Pixi and spoke about the importance of having them in her life.
Crosby added: "We are incredibly lucky, and I can’t even explain how tight I’ve held these girls this last week!”
She also said the loss had made the family’s uncertainty about the future harder to manage, writing: “We would absolutely love to grow out family however the fear of feeling this heartbreak again is terrifying.”
Crosby revealed her first silent miscarriage of the year in May, describing it at the time as “a pain and devastation that hurt so much”.
A silent miscarriage, also known as a missed miscarriage, has no symptoms and is found during a pregnancy scan.
Her statement came after The Wave of Light, an event held around the world to mark the end of Baby Loss Awareness Week.
Crosby said the event had caused her to think about the emotions she had not fully processed, and said the family remain uncertain about their future.
She continued: "I wanted to share this because this is my life, and this is our story."
She ended the post with a message of solidarity for those who have experienced similar loss.
Crosby's post attracted sympathy and support from fellow celebrities, with the wife of boxer Tyson Fury writing: "Big love to you, you can and will get through this, and you show amazing strength to put this out there. Blessed with your girls and keep strong."
Fellow Geordie Shore personalities also gathered to send the star love, including Sophie Kasaei and Holly Hagan-Blyth, who commented: "Love you so much. Life can be so cruel sometimes I will never understand why these things happen to cause so much pain
"But you are so so strong and the best mam to those gorgeous girls!"
Baby Loss Awareness Week is a national campaign supported by charities including Sands and Tommy's, bringing people affected by pregnancy or baby loss together and raising awareness of available support.
Those experiencing miscarriage or baby loss can find more information on the Baby Loss Awareness Week's webpage.