“I thought I was going to die just days after giving birth to my baby,” the BBC Breakfast star reveals

Former BBC Breakfast star Louise Minchin has opened up about having a horrific health crisis that left her fearing for her life just days after giving birth to her first child.

The 56-year-old presenter, who co-hosted BBC Breakfast until 2021, has two daughters, Mia and Scarlett, with her husband David.

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However, speaking on Gabby Logan’s podcast The Mid-Point, Louise revealed that she suffered a serious and “traumatic” health crisis after giving birth to Mia, from which she needed counseling to recover.

“I think I’ve been through a lot in my life that I just put her in a box and closed it,” Louise told the retired gymnast as she began to open up.

Louise continued: “I do that with a lot of things.” When Mia was born, that was actually the only thing I ever had to seek help for.

“When Mia was born, I had a ruptured appendix a week after she was born. It was really, really serious.”

Louise also explained that she was still unsure whether her ruptured appendix was a result of her pregnancy or just a “ridiculous” coincidence, but she ultimately needed emergency surgery.

Recalling her feelings at the time, Louise said: “It was my first pregnancy so I didn’t know. I kept telling them I was in this pain, but they just thought, “It’s your body, you’re having this baby, what are you expecting?”

Luckily, Louise had not yet left hospital and was being monitored when her appendix burst so she could receive immediate treatment.

However, that didn’t make it any less scary, and the I’m A Celebrity star admitted she was afraid she would die just days after giving birth to her daughter.

“Literally six days after she was born it burst while I was in the hospital and it was very dramatic and very traumatic.

“It’s actually the only thing I’ve ever been helped with because I thought I was going to die six days after my baby was born,” Louise said.

Although Louise said on the podcast that she was putting that part of her past behind her, she has spoken about her experiences before.

Louise previously revealed that she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after her appendix burst and took months of recovery along with counseling.

Speaking to The Mirror in 2013, the BBC presenter said: “After I got out of hospital I was still in pain. I slept for hours and was in a lot of pain. Recovery took nine months.

“Back then I called the scars my M25. I’m happy to say that the M25 looks better after 11 years. It’s still there, but there aren’t as many bumps anymore!”

Who are the current BBC Breakfast presenters?

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Louise actually had a second child, her daughter Scarlett, but admitted she was hesitant after such an ordeal.

“Although fear didn’t stop me from having more children, I did put it off. But the birth of my second child was a breeze,” she explained.

Ultimately, Louise is just happy that Mia had no complications when she was born.

“It was lucky that everything happened after Mia was born. I can’t imagine what would have happened if I had been pregnant. It has changed me, but I am more positive now.

“When something like this happens, you have a different perspective,” she concluded.

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