Made In Chelsea star Louise Thompson breaks silence on traumatic birth as she 'danced with death twice'

Louise Thompson attends the launch of Taste of London festival 2019 in Regent's Park - the ultimate celebration of London's world-renowned culinary scene on June 19, 2019 in London, England.
(Image credit: Getty)

Made In Chelsea star Louise Thompson, has spoke out about the difficult birth of her first child, a little boy named Leo-Hunter Libbey.

Louise revealed that she had secretly given birth five weeks ago but had withdrawn from social media while she and her baby dealt with a number of frightening complications.

The new mum shared the news with fiancé Ryan Libbey on Instagram, telling fans she had 'danced with death twice' and is still in a 'strange place mentally and physically' after her traumatic labour.

In an emotional post introducing her son to the world, she penned, "Hello everyone. This post isn’t an easy one for me to write. I have so many things that I want to say but at the same time I’m struggling to find the words to explain what has happened to me and my family so for now I will keep it quite simple.

"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."

A photo posted by on

While Leo made a rapid recovery, Louise revealed that she had been in the hospital for a month due to various medical concerns.

"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," Louise added.

Louise has had successful career that includes running a thriving clothing company called Pocket London and fronting campaigns for Boux Avenue, Cadbury's Crème Egg, Magnum Mini's, Goddiva, and Gorgeous Couture, in addition to appearing on Made in Chelsea.

She had previously spoken openly about her struggles, which included a devastating miscarriage. She's been treating each day as a miracle and a step closer to her 'goalpost' of having a healthy baby since announcing her pregnancy.

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Adding to her post-birth post Made in Chelsea star Louise admitted, "The reality is that I am in a bit of 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. It's not going to be easy or linear but thankfully I am being offered some very valuable psychological help and the good news is that I’m starting to experience some good hours as well as bad ones. (Sometimes living hour by hour is your only option)."

Signing off the heartfelt post, Louise continued, "I have been given the green light and been discharged from hospital which means that I'm able to recover from the comfort of my own home for Christmas. 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."

Louise revealed she secretly gave birth five weeks ago, but had been away from social media as she and her baby battled a series of terrifying complications. 

Kudzai Chibaduki
Features Writer

Kudzai Chibaduki joined Future as a trainee news writer for Good To, writing about fashion, entertainment, and beauty. She's now a freelance fashion wardrobe stylist and helps direct magazine photoshoots.