Stephanie Davis has shared the heartbreaking news that she has suffered a miscarriage almost three months into her pregnancy.
The actor, 29 – best known for playing Sinead O'Connor on Hollyoaks – announced the tragic news in a candid post on her Instagram account earlier this evening (July 30).
She shared a series of photos from the pregnancy with her followers on the social media platform, as well as a video that showed her partner Joe McKalroy kissing her bump.
It comes just a few months after Stephanie, who is already a mum to five-year-old Caben from a previous relationship, had said she was looking forward to expanding her family.
Alongside the photos and video in the post, she wrote in the caption: "MISCARRIAGE. I am not pregnant before people don't read the caption and start congratulating me."
She then went on to explain: "Hi everyone. So I didn't want to post about this until I was ready. I don't think I ever will be, or anyone is who goes through this, but here goes."
The actor said some fans had previously speculated that she might have been pregnant, recalling when she didn't go on rides during a visit to an amusement park in Southport.
"You [noticed] a lot of things. Well you were right, we were having a baby! I was pregnant. We found out from so so early on it felt like we were pregnant for sooo long," she said.
She continued: "If you remember I came off social media for a while, it was because we had a miscarriage. We thought we were nearly 12 weeks pregnant (3 months)."
Stephanie recalled having "bad sickness," including vomiting, early on in the pregnancy and "crazy hormones," with her saying that it felt like she had a "long time" with her baby.
"I started getting really bad headaches one night and the next morning I woke up and I said to Joe, my mum and Joe's mum that I didn't feel pregnant anymore," she continued.
Stephanie said that her loved ones had thought she was "overly worrying," especially as the baby's heartbeat had been "beating beautifully" during previous scans she had.
"But as a mum I guess you just know," she said, before opening up about the miscarriage, writing: "The anxiety, the heartbreak and the sadness we have gone through was horrendous."
The Over the Rainbow alum said that her and partner Joe had been "so excited" by the pregnancy, adding: "[We] already had visioned and planned a life with our family of 4."
Stephanie – who had also tragically suffered a miscarriage last year during a previous relationship – said that she had already been considering plans for a baby shower.
She continued: "You think when you get further on like I was that everything will be ok, so it was a big shock. When they told us there was no heartbeat and the baby had stopped growing [it] was just so upsetting."
She continued: "I had to have an operation to have our baby removed as was further on. I couldn't have got through it all without my absolute rock, Joe." She also expressed gratitude to other relatives and her management.
Stephanie said that after the operation she had been "so numb and empty," adding that her hormones were "all over the place" following the procedure earlier this year.
She continued in the post: "It was so hard to accept there was nothing there anymore and our journey we were on was over. Joe was my rock and I love you more every day."
The actor concluded by assuring her followers: "We are ok and we have got through it all as a family. One day we will expand our little family when the time is right."
