Love Island’s Sharon Gaffka revealed she has requested one of the government’s new baby loss certificates – after suffering a tragic miscarriage.
The reality star, 28, took to X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday to share a screenshot from the government website saying that her request for a certificate was now complete.
Last August Sharon revealed she suffered a heartbreaking miscarriage in 2021 as she told how the grief hit her ‘like a train’.
Parents who lose a baby before 24 weeks of pregnancy can as of this week apply for a certificate to have their grief formally recognised for the first time.
The scheme will be voluntary and ministers say it will remain the choice of all parents to manage their bereavement ‘however they see fit’.
Love Island’s Sharon Gaffka revealed on Thursday that she has requested one of the government’s new baby loss certificates – after suffering a tragic miscarriage
Last August she revealed that she suffered a heartbreaking miscarriage in 2021 as she told how the grief hit her ‘like a train’
Babies born before 24 weeks do not need to be officially registered, leaving some mums and dads feeling ignored.
In her post Sharon wrote in the caption: ‘From today, parents who experience baby loss before reaching 24 weeks of gestation can now document and obtain a certificate acknowledging their loss.
‘While it can never replace anyone’s loss, this small change has bought me a sense of closure that I needed.’
Last August, Sharon revealed that she suffered a heartbreaking miscarriage back in 2021.
Taking to Instagram, the reality star issued a trigger warning and shared a teary selfie as she opened up about her tragic pregnancy loss for the first time.
Detailing her pain, Sharon explained that she’d been ‘trying to find the strength’ to open up about the loss that she’d spent the past 18 months healing from, admitting she was initially scared of people commenting on her miscarriage.
During the emotional post, Sharon also revealed that that week would have marked her baby’s first birthday and that the grief she felt due to the date hit her ‘like a train’.
She added at the time, she’d found it ‘incredibly tough to function’ as normal, telling her fans she didn’t share her news for ‘sympathy’, but simply for her ‘own healing’.
The reality star, 28, took to Twitter to share a screenshot from the government website saying that her request for a certificate was now complete
Parents who lose a baby before 24 weeks of pregnancy can as of this week apply for a certificate to have their grief formally recognised for the first time
Detailing her pain in a post last year, Sharon explained that she’d been ‘trying to find the strength’ to open up about the loss that she’d spent the past 18 months healing from
Her heartbreaking caption read: ‘‼️TW: pregnancy loss‼️ You know that classic saying… ‘Be kind because you don’t know what someone is going through’, I’ve been trying to find the strength to be open about something I’ve been healing from for the past eighteen months.
‘I want to start by saying that everyone’s healing process is different. The foetus I miscarried would’ve been celebrating their first birthday this week. Which hit me like a train and I have surprisingly found it incredibly tough to function as I normally would.
‘Miscarriage affects 1 in 4 women in the UK. While I know I’m not the only one to have experience such loss, I’ve struggled with finding a space where the unique emotional journey that those who don’t envision motherhood in their future go through when facing such a loss, being talked about openly.
‘For individuals who never intended to become parents, the grief following a miscarriage is confusing. The traditional narrative surrounding motherhood doesn’t apply, making it challenging to find spaces that resonate with their feelings.’
The TV star continued: ‘My healing process has had to come in stages, weirdly one of the things I was the most scared about was people finding out and having strangers comment on it.
‘But once those feelings passed, I’ve had to contend with feelings of failure. How as such an ‘accomplished’ woman – can I be a failure? I can only put it down to societal norms that as a woman, this is what my body ‘is supposed to do’, which has only amplified the grief.
‘Grief is not a linear process, I’m tired of being told that time is healer and this truth is especially evident in the aftermath of miscarriage for those who never planned to have children. Feelings of loss, confusion, guilt, and even relief can surface unexpectedly, and these emotions are all valid.
‘Breaking the silence surrounding miscarriage is crucial. For individuals who don’t want children, opening up these conversations can lead to validation, understanding, and a sense of community.
‘Putting this into the public domain isn’t for sympathy, it’s for my own healing so thank you for reading this far if you did.’
Sharon’s post was met with a plethora of kind comments from fans who expressed their sympathies over her loss.
Sharon appeared on the seventh series of the ITV2 dating show in 2021, where she was fifth to be dumped from the island.
Sharon appeared on the seventh series of the ITV2 dating show in 2021, where she was fifth to be dumped from the island
The certificate idea was formed as part of the Government’s response to the independent Pregnancy Loss Review.
The government says it is ‘committed to ensuring bereaved parents feel supported through their grief and recognise their loss, acknowledging their pain and ensuring they feel heard’.
Ministers are considering plans to extend the eligibility criteria for a certificate and whether bereaved parents should receive statutory leave from work.
If you have been affected by this story, you can seek advice at www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk or by calling 01924 200 799.
