Hollyoaks star Kirsty-Leigh Porter has bravely shared the heart-wrenching story of losing her baby girl during pregnancy. The actress, known for her role as Leela Lomax in the popular Channel 4 soap, tragically lost her first daughter, Penny-Leigh, at 29 weeks and three days pregnant.
In December 2018, Kirsty-Leigh went to the hospital concerned about reduced movements. After a scan, she received the devastating news that her baby had passed away, as doctors were unable to detect a heartbeat.
Kirsty-Leigh gave birth to Penny-Leigh in the hospital and spent precious moments with her, capturing prints of her tiny feet and hands. The grieving parents then faced the painful task of organizing a funeral, a heartbreaking ordeal that overwhelmed them with emotion.
Speaking about this dark period in her life, Kirsty-Leigh candidly shared her experience of loneliness and the realization that she will never fully recover from the loss. She expressed, “I’m not the Kirsty I was before Penny-Leigh. Everything flips upside down. You never get over it, you never forget. There’s always going to be a part of you that’s missing.” Writing has been a therapeutic outlet for her, helping her to process her thoughts and emotions.
However, Kirsty-Leigh also spoke about finding strength and a sense of moving forward. She described a turning point in her journey, where she realized that she now has the best guardian angel in the world and that she wants to make her late daughter proud. This mindset has motivated her to wake up every morning and honor Penny-Leigh’s memory.
In 2020, Kirsty-Leigh welcomed her “rainbow baby,” Nala Rai, into the world. Reflecting on the arrival of her second child, born two years after losing Penny-Leigh, the soap star shared her profound gratitude. She described feeling like she was merely existing before Nala’s birth, but now she feels alive again, as if she can breathe freely.
Kirsty-Leigh’s story is a powerful reminder of the strength and resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable loss. She has bravely shared her journey, offering hope and inspiration to others who may be going through similar experiences.
Kirsty-Leigh’s daughter Nala Rai was born in 2020. According to Kirsty-Leigh, the name Nala means a fresh breath of air, water, earth, and new life. The name Rai is short for Rainbow because Nala is a rainbow baby. Kirsty-Leigh wants Nala to know that she has a big sister, but she is unsure of when or how she will tell her.
In the world of Hollyoaks, Kirsty-Leigh’s character will go through a similar experience as herself. Leela, the character, realizes that her baby has stopped moving. Leela recently discovered that she was pregnant with Joel’s baby and they were both excited about this new chapter in their lives.
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Following advice from a midwife, Leela decides to go to the hospital for an update. However, she is unable to wake up Joel, who is sleeping. At the hospital, Leela undergoes a fetal heart monitoring, but the initial results are unclear, leading to the summoning of a consultant.
What happens next is still unknown, but in the next episode, the hospital desperately tries to get in touch with Joel, who is still sound asleep.
