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Ben Fogle on losing his son: 'Nothing will ever make up for that'

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It's been just over a year since Ben Fogle and his wife Marina lost their baby son, who was delivered stillborn at 32 weeks. Speaking in a new interview, Ben has opened up about the painful experience and explained how the couple are continuing to remain optimistic.

The TV presenter was making an appearance on Lorraine with his pet labrador Storm, who has just joined the family.

When asked by show host Lorraine Kelly whether a new pet has helped in the healing process, Ben admitted: "It's not a replacement, nothing will ever make up for that."

ben fogle © Photo: Rex

"It reminds you to value every single minute, live your life to the absolute full," said Ben Fogle

"Both my wife and I are optimists and we look at the positives in life," he said. "We've made the most of this year, we've done everything we possibly could with [the kids]. It reminds you to value every single minute, live your life to the absolute full."

The 42-year-old presenter, who has a son Ludo and a daughter Iona with his wife, added: "It's one of the reasons I've done so much over the last 15 years. I know we say it occasionally but we do only have one life. So many people forget about that.

"If you look at the positives, if you test yourself and challenge yourself… I describe myself as a 'yes' person. If you say no to too many things, you think 'what if'."

ben fogle2 © Photo: Getty Images

Ben has previously revealed that he almost lost his wife during the traumatic experience

In August 2014 Ben's wife Marina was rushed to hospital after suffering "acute placental abruption", meaning that her placenta had suddenly become detached from her uterus. She haemorrhaged and had an emergency caesarean section. Without immediate medical attention, Marina could have died within 20 minutes.

Last month the mum-of-two detailed her own experience in The Times, in a bid to raise awareness about the issue.

"One of the hardest things to come to terms with was the senselessness of my son's death," she wrote. "If his death can give me a voice to talk about something people are afraid to talk about or give a pregnant woman the confidence to seek advice if she has any concerns or questions... then his death seems a little less pointless and that makes my pain a little easier to bear."