'There is no better feeling than helping someone'

After the traumatic birth of her son and years of battling bowel disease, Louise Thompson tells OK! what got her through and why she’s lucky’

- EVE MACDONALD

The past few years have been nothing short of harrowing for Louise Thompson. In 2021, the 34-year-old gave birth to her son Leo, but the experience left Louise with intense fear and trauma after his head became trapped in her pelvis, leading to an emergency Caesarean section.

Louise lost three-and-a-half litres of blood as doctors tried to control a haemorrhage - it was later discovered that she had a torn womb. Now, the former Made In Chelsea star - who suffers PTSD episodes that can leave her unable to move or speak for 30 minutes at a time has been fitted with a stoma bag. She says it "saved her life" after years of battling with the bowel disease ulcerative colitis. And this January, she became seriously ill while on holiday in Antigua and was losing "cupfuls" of blood every 20 minutes before she flew home to the UK and was rushed to hospital.

Luckily, Louise, the sister of TV star Sam Thompson, has had the support of her loved ones during her many health struggles, including her fiancé of six years, Ryan Libbey, 33. She now hopes to help others by sharing her story, and her latest project sees her curating a summer collection for Not On The High Street.

Here, Louise opens up about her health, why she's ready to marry Ryan, and bringing "pure joy" to her life again...

Hi, Louise! What have you got planned for the summer?

Ryan and I are going on our first trip without Leo in August. It'll be different for us, but also exciting. I went on my first solo trip, since having any kind of surgery, a couple of weeks ago - it was scary but it gave me confidence and made me realise I need to do things I love, like travelling. Ryan and I travelled a lot when we first got together. I'm excited to get back to that, but the truth is, I haven't been able to because of my health and extreme anxiety. I still have moments where I think life isn't quite as easy as it used to be.