Ryan Libbey has revealed his fiancée Louise Thompson was on suicide watch after she nearly died while giving birth to their son Leo.
The Made In Chelsea star, 34, spent five weeks in hospital suffering with ‘serious complications’ in 2021 following Leo’s birth.
She has since been battling post-traumatic stress disorder and post-natal anxiety, admitting during one week in January 2022 that she cried up to 20 times.
Personal trainer Ryan has opened up about the toll Louise’s struggles took on him, saying the couple had daily visits from carers for the first 10 months of Leo’s life.
Speaking on Joshua Patterson’s Exercising The Demons podcast, Ryan said: ‘The first 10 months of Leo’s life, and when I say it was bad, I don’t think it could have been much worse at home in terms of the environment we had to just exist in.
Ryan Libbey has revealed his fiancée Louise Thompson was on suicide watch after she nearly died while giving birth to their son Leo
The Made In Chelsea star, 34, spent five weeks in hospital suffering with ‘serious complications’ in 2021 following Leo’s birth
‘The physical stuff from three major operations is one thing but what it did to Louise’s mental state, it just completely unhinged her as a person.
‘We had daily visits from care visitors but they were also on suicide watch because she was saying things like, “I just cannot get through this and I don’t even want to.”
‘She couldn’t even really barely look at Leo, let alone hold Leo. So, for 10 months I had to ensure the house filled with medical staff of different professions.’
Ryan added that he had to assume the role of mother to Leo while Louise was unable to care for him.
He said: ‘Leo, I was fighting against biology a little bit because Leo during that time as any newborn is kind of yearning for their mummy and I had to fill that role and it’s incredibly difficult.
‘When I got to the end of that 10 months I was in such a bad state. I’d pushed myself to such an extent that I’d become unhelpful to people around me. I was so deeply unhappy and very short on energy and patience.
‘I had a lot of resentment as well and that started to trickle in. I started to feel resentment to Louise. I don’t want to say Leo, but just the version of becoming a father that I had. I’d really struggle with it.’
Taking to his Instagram after the release of the podcast, Ryan thanked people for their ‘unbelievably kind’ messages.
Personal trainer Ryan has opened up about the toll Louise’s struggles took on him, saying the couple had daily visits from carers for the first 10 months of Leo’s life
Ryan said: ‘The physical stuff from three major operations is one thing but what it did to Louise’s mental state, it just completely unhinged her as a person’
He wrote: ‘I am completely blown away by the response to the episode that went out at 6am this morning. It’s already got well over 1million listens and I’ve spent a large part of my day responding to some unbelievably kind messages.
‘I can’t thank @joshuapatterson_jp and you guys as the listeners enough. You’ve given me the time and space to open up and expose some really vulnerable parts of my life.
‘Arriving at this place where I feel comfortable to talk about this is empowering for me and my hope is that by doing so it will encourage more men to talk and open up.
‘During my relationship with Louise I feel like I’ve lived 10 lives with plenty of ups and downs. This is our 8th year together.
‘We met in 2016 and since then we’ve endured so much. The wonderful thing is that we now have a greater sense of understanding, respect and love for each other than we ever have, and that is definitely the silver lining to all of this.
‘Because there has been so much change to my life over the years, it’s difficult to know where on the timeline I should begin.
‘From my time on Made In Chelsea, which as you know was difficult at times. To the relationship I have with Louise and what it’s been like dating someone in the public eye and the impact that’s had on me as just a very normal guy.
Ryan added: ‘When I got to the end of that 10 months I was in such a bad state. I’d pushed myself to such an extent that I’d become unhelpful to people around me’
‘To my relationship with my son Leo and the adjustment to fatherhood. To how I managed the pressure of Leo’s first 10 months playing the role of mummy and daddy, whilst caring for Louise in her darkest days.
‘The body keeps score of these heavy experiences and although I’m now at a peaceful place of acceptance, of course it took its toll and affected me.
‘I have so much to say, and I’m really looking forward to doing that with Louise on our new podcast that is coming soon. Thanks again for all your support.’
It comes after Louise admitted she and Ryan’s relationship ‘completely fell apart’ after her difficult childbirth.
Speaking to Closer magazine, Louise told how her health woes caused her relationship with personal trainer Ryan to suffer to the point their friends and family thought they were going to split up.
She said: ‘Trauma trickles through every single aspect of your life. Now I’m in a place two and a half years later down the line where I look back, and I am thanking Ryan for various things he did.
‘But there were moments early on where we completely fell apart – we had no relationship.
‘We shouldn’t have stayed together. Things were really destructive. I think we were both just dealing with our own versions of trauma and handling it very differently.’
Louise added it was ‘really hard’ for Ryan to watch the person he loved ‘completely fall apart’ and she doesn’t think he knew how to handle it.
The star is glad now that she and Ryan battled through the difficult period together and she doesn’t think any of her past relationships would have survived it.
The couple delayed their wedding plans due to Louise’s health problems and during a recent conversation, Ryan told her getting married would mean a lot to him.
Louise told how her health woes caused her relationship with Ryan to suffer to the point their friends and family thought they were going to split up
She said: ‘We shouldn’t have stayed together. Things were really destructive. I think we were both just dealing with our own versions of trauma and handling it very differently’
The pair are once again in the early stages of planning their nuptials. Louise insisted she is in no rush and has set a tentative date for the end of next year.
In December, Louise shared how she felt ‘slightly lost’ during the Christmas break after making herself ‘silly levels of busy’ in a bid to manage her struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The TV personality added that in 2024 she is focused on ‘getting well’ and ‘pausing’ is a ‘project she needs to sink her teeth into.’
Louise and Ryan did not announce the arrival of their child for five weeks after serious complications during the birth.
On December 23, 2021, Louise announced the birth of her son on her Instagram page and revealed she had been discharged from hospital to recover at home.
She said: ‘5 weeks ago I gave birth to my beautiful baby boy Leo-Hunter Libbey weighing in at 7lbs. Unfortunately it wasn’t the easiest start for either of us. One ended up in NICU and the other ended up in ICU.
Louise said that Leo recovered quickly, but she had to deal with ‘many bad things’, saying: ‘To dance with death twice brings a whole new view of the world.’
In December, two years after Leo’s birth, she reflected on the time since the traumatic series of events.
She said: ‘Here’s a reminder that a lot can change in a year. A lot can change in 6 months. Indeed a lot can change in a month but it’s hard to witness the change until you create some sizeable distance from it.
‘I’m crying writing this. I’m feeling very emotional today. I can’t lie it feels nice to purge my pain. I encourage you to try writing and crying too.
‘Sometimes it helps. But the main reason I’m writing this is because I really want you guys to know that you must keep moving forward. Don’t give up. Because there will be a time when you will want to wear a pretty party dress again. You will shine again.’
