Gemma Atkinson says she ‘nearly died’ in childbirth and shares ‘traumatic’ experience

Gemma Atkinson has revealed that she “nearly died” when she gave birth to her first child back in 2019.

Last month, the happy couple – who met on the Strictly Come Dancing in 2017 – welcomed their second child Thiago four years after they welcomed their first child Mia.

In a preview clip obtained by Daily Mail, the former Hollyoaks star has been candid about her delivery with her loyal legion of fans online who continue to turn to her as a fountain of knowledge on parenting and being a new mum.

READ MORE: Strictly’s Giovanni Pernice ‘leaks’ his celebrity partner as fans spot major clue

Now, ahead of their upcoming reality show Gemma And Gorka: Life Behind The Lens, the mum-of-two has opened up about the anxieties she had for her second pregnancy following her traumatic first birth.

She revealed how doctors had to battle to save her life when she suffered a postpartum haemorrhage, losing nearly a litre of blood.

The professional dancer was left sobbing as nine medics “pulled clots of blood out of her” after an emergency was performed when Mia’s heartrate dropped suddenly.

Gemma explained: “My first birth was a traumatic one. They game me a form about blood transfusions that asked if one of us had to be saves, which one would it be.

“It could have gone very differently. Immediately afterwards you think to yourself, ‘Gosh, would I go through that again?’ and then you look at your child and think, ‘I’d do it all again tomorrow’. That’s the nature of motherhood.”

The soap star went on to reveal that her second pregnancy had been deemed high-risk following her brush with death during her first pregnancy.

She went on: “Knowledge is power, so it’s important to ask lots of questions and we didn’t have any knowledge with Mia about why this happened.

“Now we know that there was a lack of blood from my placenta to Mia, so for this pregnancy I was given aspirin to help with the blood flow.

“Digging into why some of us end up having emergency C-sections and postpartum haemorrhages like I had was a game-changer, as I’ve been asked about it by so many women who have had similar experiences.”

But despite her horrific first experience, the doting mum still kept a positive outlook as she prepared to welcome her second child at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Gemma explained: “This time round was so much more relaxed. It was actually a wonderful experience, and it just so happened that the same surgeon who delivered Mia was on shift. So she delivered Thiago as well.”

Have you joined Threads? Follow Daily Star to keep up to date on all things showbiz here.

After a week off work to welcome Thiago into the Atkinson-Marquez family, the new dad has returned to rehearsals for the upcoming series of the BBC One dance competition.

He now leaves their home in Manchester on Sunday nights and is on the first train home to be with his family on Friday mornings.

Luckily, Gemma’s mum – who lives locally – is on hand to help her at a moment’s notice, with the family of four now thriving as a “complete” family unit.

For more of the latest showbiz and TV news from the Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk