real life

Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald talks about his grief at the loss of his baby daughter.

He’s now a proud dad of two

Radio funnyman and former Big Brother contestant Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald has described the moment he and his wife Belinda lost their baby daughter as “the end of the world.”

The usually jovial Nova 969 presenter is now the proud father of two little boys, Hewston, 5, and Lennox, 2, but his wife miscarried their first child, a daughter, in 2008.

Fitzy appeared on the cover of Sunday Style yesterday wearing a white shirt in support of the White Shirt Campaign for ovarian cancer, and told the magazine about the devastating loss.

Fitzy with his wife Belinda and their two sons. Image via Instagram

“My wife [Belinda] and I lost a child [in pregnancy], so there was a moment where that was the end of the world,” he told Sunday Style.

“But when we had our first child, Hewston we had to think how lucky we were to have one.”

He also spoke about the traumatic experience to Show and Tell after the birth of Lennox:

“We lost our first child Cayley Jay and unfortunately BJ still had to give birth. It was a very traumatic experience but also brought us so much closer.”

Fitzy and wife Belinda. Image via Instagram

 

Fitzy with his younger son Lennox. Image via Instagram

The former Big Brother contestant and AFL player is full of admiration for his wife.

Related stories: How a devastating miscarriage changed this dad forever.

“When you think that you can love someone only so much, it is heightened even more when you watch them go through a process like labour,” he said.

“As an observer it seems like an out of body experience, but my wife went 23 hours without one drug! I stuff myself with Nurofen if I have a sniffle!”

 

Mamamia has released a book, Never Forgotten, for all the tens of thousands of families who have experienced pregnancy loss, miscarriage, still birth and neo natal death. The loss of any child, particularly during pregnancy or soon after birth, is an extraordinarily traumatic process and one it can be impossible for other people to understand.

Mamamia publisher Mia Freedman and senior writer Bec Sparrow have both been there and after helping each other through the grief process began to reach out to other women going through similar trauma.

Mamamia readers and writers have joined together to contribute their stories to this book, compiled by Bec and Mia and edited by Paula Ellery. The book is available as an E-book download or in print form [click here to order].

All the proceeds will go towards charities who help families who have suffered this very common yet widely misunderstood type of loss.