Kym Marsh was overcome with emotion as she paid tribute to her late son, Archie. The singer and actress went through the devastating loss of her baby boy, with her ex-husband Jamie Lomas, in 2009 at 21 weeks of pregnancy.
Archie, who would have marked his 13th birthday in February, was born 18 weeks early in February 2009 and sadly died within moments. Over the years Kym has been bravely open about her and her family's heartbreaking loss, even reliving the trauma for a storyline on Coronation Street, and every year has shared a tribute to her little boy on social media on his birthday.
A year after Archie died, Kym tried for another baby and was placed under the care of St Mary’s, Manchester’s specialist centre for obstetrics and neonatal care when she became pregnant with daughter Polly. She was terrified to discover she had a condition that meant there was a strong possibility that she could go into premature labour again.
Specialists at St Mary’s performed a procedure to stop her going into early labour and she was put on immediate bed rest. Kym went on to give birth to her “little fighter and miracle” Polly in March 2011 following 33 weeks of pregnancy, weighing 4lbs 1oz.
Just a few months after Archie's birthday, Kym paid a visit to Manchester's Whitworth Gallery to explore an exhibition about baby loss which was filmed for the show she is one of the presenters of, Morning Live. As well as the Still Parents: Life After Baby Loss exhibition, the 45-year-old was shown attending a group session for women who have endured stillbirth.
Speaking about her loss in the segment, she said: "It was the worst thing that's ever happened to me. I was absolutely devastated. It's the most painful thing I've ever felt." Kym emphasised with the other women about the difficulties of speaking out about the loss of their babies. "It is only when you start actually meeting other people and reaching out, going ‘I’m not on my own here’. And there is some comfort in that," she commented.
Also during the visit, Kym paid a tearful tribute to her son Archie with the segment showing an artist adding her late son's name to the wall, with 'Archie Jay Lomas' visible as Kym perched down to get a closer look at the heartfelt tribute to him.
Kym, who played Michelle Connor for 13 years in Corrie before her exit in 2019, became emotional and was seen wiping tears away from her eyes. After taking a moment, she commented: "Wow. So proud."
The former Hear'Say star then expressed pride over the inclusion of her late son on the memory wall, with her stating on the BBC show on Tuesday (July 5): "I'm so proud to have him on this wall. It's incredible."
And Morning Live viewers were quick to show their support. "What a beautiful piece on @BBCMorningLive about #babyloss this morning," one tweeted. Another said: "Thank you @msm4rsh for always giving this subject a voice. Brought a tear to my eye. @SandsUK #alwayslovedneverforgotten."
Earlier this year, in a moving message to Archie, she typed on Instagram: "Thirteen years. Thirteen years since I lost a piece of my heart that I will never get back. It still hurts so much, like it was yesterday. People say time is a healer, to a degree they are right, because in time you learn to move forward, you learn to accept what has happened, that life doesn’t stand still no matter how much you want it to.
"However, that pain never goes away. It’s always there. We wonder what kind of little boy you would have been, what games you would have liked to play, what made you laugh, what football team you would have supported (Man U obvs!). I wish we’d had the privilege to hear your voice, your laugh, your cry, you shouting at your sister because she was playing with your stuff and embarrassing you in front of your mates!"
She then concluded: "I wish we were celebrating with you today, a teenager!!! Although I’m sure by now I would be a very uncool mum, and would be annoying and embarrassing you by kissing you on your birthday!"
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