Days after finishing his Austrian summer break with his wife Marina, Ben Fogle has jetted off for a work commitment in a "faraway place" as his family experiences a heartbreaking milestone at home.
The New Lives in the Wild presenter, 52, took to Instagram to share a photo of his son Willem's gravestone to mark 12 years since he was stillborn.
Describing the anniversary as a "challenging day", Ben admitted that being away from home still leaves him with "anxiety."
Ben and Marina Fogle mark their son Willem's death anniversary
He penned: "A day to remember what we lost but also to celebrate what we have. I am currently thousands of miles from home in a faraway place, as I was 12 years ago when we lost little Willem.
"It left me with an anxiety about being overseas that has taken many years to control. But I am so grateful for everything we as a family have. My incredible wife and our beautiful children," added Ben, who married Marina in 2006 in Portugal and is now father to son Ludovic, 16, and daughter Iona, 14.
© InstagramThe Countryfile star reflected on life's "ups and downs." Ben concluded: "In an increasingly divided and polarised world, loss is a unifier. A common emotion that transcends race, religion, culture, politics and nationality. An emotion that affects us all.
© Instagram"This is for all those who have loved and lost, mourned and grieved. Love and peace to you all." The post was met by an outpouring of support from fans, who praised his authenticity and sent their love.
Ben Fogle's candid confessions about dealing with grief
This is not the first time Ben has courageously opened up about losing Willem. In an interview with The Sun, the presenter recalled travelling back from Canada to support his wife Marina, who had been rushed into hospital for an emergency caesarean after heavy bleeding at 33 weeks.
"A number of years ago, my wife and I lost a son, who was stillborn and it's amazing how you deal with a loss like that. My wife Marina was very raw with her emotions," he said.
© Getty"Mine were much more measured, it doesn't mean I felt it any less, but I probably kept them within, and one of the big things that happened to me was that I became obsessed about control, because I'd lost control there.
"I was actually in Canada when it happened, and I had to take a flight to get back. I didn't know if my wife was going to survive. It was like one of the periods in my life, I've had a few, when I had lost all control. And what my brain, this amazing thing, did was it made me absolutely obsessed about control. And I wanted to control everything."
Ben admitted he was still battling with his grief years later, telling Instagram fans in 2023 that he had suffered "crippling paranoia and anxiety" which he worked through with the help of CBT, medicine and alternative therapies.
The couple, who became official Patrons of Child Bereavement UK following Willem's loss, live in a 120-year-old converted gatehouse in the Chilterns. Ben often shares updates about their home life, including his son Ben moving out of the house for boarding school.
If you've experienced baby loss and need to talk, here are some helpful resources:
- Call or email Tommy's 0800 0147 800 / midwife@tommys.org
- Call or email Sands 07803 751229 / hello@achildofmine.org.uk
- Call or email The Lullaby Trust 0808 802 6868 / support@lullabytrust.org.uk
