‘Not being able to take your baby home is the worst thing in the world'

Love Island winner Jessica Hayes opens up about losing her little boy and the pain of saying goodbye

- EMILY WHITWAM

Reality TV star Jessica Hayes suffered every mother’s worst nightmare last month when she miscarried five months into her second pregnancy. The shock news was made even more unbearable as the tragedy came just days after she proudly showed off her blossoming bump in a shoot with new – where she and fiancé Dan Lawry revealed their excitement at the impending birth, which was due to happen in April.

The baby, named Teddy, was a brother for the couple’s son Presley. And when we give Jess a call at her Oxfordshire home to find out how she’s been coping, she’s feeling burnt out due to the 19-month-old waking her up at 5am.

“My heart is shattered,” the 27-year-old says before getting emotional. “These have been the hardest months of my life, but being a mum to Presley has helped get me through losing Teddy. ”

We’re chatting to Jess shortly after our shoot, which she bravely chose to go ahead with in order to raise awareness of late miscarriage – something one in every 100 pregnant women experience.

Before becoming a doting mum, Jess found fame in 2015 as the winner of ITV’s Love Island with her former flame, Max Morley. The romance didn’t work out and she met and fell in love with Dan, getting engaged in 2018.

Here, Jess opens up about the loss of her baby, dealing with her grief and looking to the future…

Hi, Jess. We’re so sorry for your loss. How have you been coping since losing Teddy?

These have been the hardest months of my life, without a doubt. The early days were horrible. It was so hard to function. But Presley has helped me through it.

Can you tell us what happened?