Ben Fogle admits wife Marina was 'reluctant' about going away after devastating loss
BEN FOGLE revealed their holiday to Africa "changed" his family and "brought them back together" after they suffered a devastating stillbirth.
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Ben Fogle, 48, and his wife Marina, suffered a tragic loss back in 2014, after their son was stillborn at 33 weeks. A horrific experience for any parent to go through, the TV star looked for ways to help the family deal with what had happened, even though Marina was slightly "reluctant" at first.
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It was quite soon after our baby Willem had been stillborn
In an interview with The Telegraph, Ben admitted that he encouraged her to bring their two other children, Ludo and Iona, to Africa, where he was making his series, The Great African Migration.
Over the course of a year, he followed the migration of the wildebeest all the way through the Mara and the Serengeti.
"As a family, we hadn’t been to eastern Africa, and I was keen to get my children, Ludo and Iona, and my wife, Marina, out to visit," Ben explained.
"At first, Marina was reluctant: it was quite soon after our baby Willem had been stillborn.
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"She had suffered a placental abruption at eight months and nearly died while giving birth.
"Eventually, she agreed to come, asking friends what she should bring and consequently arriving in Africa with a case full of cheese and Marks & Spencer hot cross buns," he smiled.
After being forced to camp out in the wilderness, Ben gushed over how the family appeared to be "healing" after the trauma of losing their baby.
"It was lovely to see Ludo and Iona running around barefoot after what we had all been through," he said.
"It was all really basic – feral, even.
"We didn’t get much sleep and it was as far from luxury as you could get, but it was exactly what we needed as a family to help us heal after the trauma of losing Willem."
He described it as "one of our most memorable holidays", especially after their little hotel room was raided by baboons, who nicked their toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Ben added: "It was a healing holiday for my family, and more so for Marina.
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"She was suffering with flashbacks, reliving the trauma of it all in her mind, and told me soon after that it was the first time she’d had a reprieve from the constant sadness."
Marina became involved with the charity Tommy’s after Willem died, who offer support to parents who have lost babies.
Most of its funding goes towards research projects that look into the causes of miscarriage, premature birth and stillbirth, and has initiated huge changes to make pregnancy and birth much safer.
"Marina told me being in Africa gave her a kind of glimpse into the future, allowing her to see that she could live a happy, fulfilling life even after this terrible thing that had happened," Ben admitted.
"I still find it hard to discuss, but I feel the same.
"We had been living from one day to the next, unable to see beyond the pain of losing our child, and our time in Africa taught us to live in the moment.
"It was a holiday that changed us all.
"It brought us back together."
If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Sands (stillbirth and neonatal death charity). You can call them on 0808 164 3332 or email helpline@sands.org.uk
