Ben Fogle introduces new dog Storm as he opens up about tragic stillbirth

'It’s not a replacement, nothing will ever make up for that...'

In a candid interview, TV presenter Ben Fogle has spoken out about the loss of his 32-week-old son last year, and the fact that his family has recently welcomed a new addition to their brood.

Just over a year on from the tragic stillbirth, the 42-year-old appeared on the Lorraine show on Monday morning to introduce his new family member, Storm.

Ben and his wife Marina Hunt, whom he married in 2006, have added the adorable black Labrador, to their family, which already includes son Ludovic, 5, and daughter Iona, 4.

Whilst appearing on the ITV show, host Lorraine Kelly asked Ben if having a pet has helped with the pain of his son's death.

The adventure star, who came to fame on show Castaway in 2000, was visibly moved by the conversation and said; ‘It’s not a replacement, nothing will ever make up for that.’

Ben introduces the Fogle family's new labrador Storm

The experience, which took place in August 2014, also nearly saw Ben lose wife Marina, who was ‘twenty minutes from death’ after suffering an acute placental abruption - meaning that the placenta had detached form her uterus, resulting in a severe hemorrhage.

Reflecting on what could have been, Ben said; ‘The thought of life without her was unbearable.’

The pair already have a strong bond with Labrador dogs, as they began their relationship in 2009 after meeting in Hyde Park whilst Ben was walking his former black Labrador Retriever, Inca.

Ben is also a public supporter of the charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

‘Both my wife and I are optimists and we look at the positives in life… we've made the most of this year, we've done everything we possibly could.

In a piece for The Telegraph magazine, his wife Marina previously spoke of the ‘senselessness’ of her son’s death being the hardest part of the experience to come to terms with.

'We've made the most of this year, we've done everything we possibly could with [the kids],' Ben concluded. ‘It reminds you to value every single minute, live your life to the absolute full.’

'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.'

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