Former reality star and fitness entrepreneur Louise Thompson has broken her silence on social media, following a 5-week break. Alongside sharing a beautiful photo of her new baby boy, Leo-Hunter, whom she recently welcomed into the world with fiancé Ryan Libbey, Louise unfortunately explained that she's been unwell following her little one's birth.
Noting that the post was a tough one to write, Louise said that whilst there's so much she wants to share about her recent experience, she's also "struggling to find the words to explain what has happened to me and my family".
The new mother of one added, "The reason I have been absent for weeks is because I have been very unwell. 5 weeks ago I gave birth to my beautiful baby boy Leo-Hunter Libbey weighing in at 7lbs. Unfortunately it wasn’t the easiest start for either of us. One ended up in NICU and the other ended up in ICU."
Louise then told her 1.3 million followers that whilst little Leo thankfully recovered quickly, she has unfortunately been recovering in hospital for a month due to "various serious complications".
"In all honesty I never imagined that so many bad things could happen to me, but to dance with death twice brings a whole new view of the world - a stark reminder of how short and sacred life really is.
"We need to start living, we need to start loving, we need to start enjoying every minute detail in life... and please please please be grateful for good health. The hard truth is that you don't know how lucky you are to have it until it's too late."
Candidly, Louise also touched upon the mental implications of being unwell and said that she is in a strange place "mentally and physically and I might be for a while, but that’s just part of the me now and part of my recovery". She added that she has been offered valuable support and is beginning to experience good hours, as well as bad ones.
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Ending on a brighter note, Louise also shared that she has now been discharged from hospital in time for Christmas and can recover in more comfortable surroundings. "For the first time in a month I actually see a future where I get to live peacefully on this earth with my son. I can’t wait to start our new journey together as a family of 3 and to start bonding little baby Leo."
Sam Thompson, Louise's brother, also shared her post to his Instagram Stories adding that his nephew is the most "beautiful baby, made by the bravest woman I know". Sam's girlfriend Zara McDermott echoed his sentiments in a Story post of her own too, adding "Beautiful boy. Beautiful, strong & inspirational mumma".
Congratulations to Louise and Ryan on the birth of little Leo-Hunter, and we're so sorry to hear about everything you've been going through at this time.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
