Louise Minchin has revealed that she thought she was going to die when her appendix burst six days after she gave birth.
The British broadcaster, 56, and her husband-of-26-years David share two daughters, Mia, 22, and Scarlett, 19.
Appearing on Tuesday's episode of Gabby Logan's The Mid Point podcast, Louise opened up about the 'traumatic' days which followed the birth of first child Mia when she suffered a medical emergency.
Louise, who left BBC Breakfast in September 2021 after 20 years, had been experiencing pain in the lead up to going into labour but it was shrugged off due to her being heavily pregnant.
However less than a week after welcoming Mia, while Louise was still in hospital, her appendix burst and she thought she was 'going to die'.
Louise Minchin revealed on Tuesday's episode of Gabby Logan's The Mid Point podcast that she thought she was going to die when her appendix burst six days after she gave birth
Louise opened up about the 'traumatic' days which followed the birth of first child Mia when she suffered a medical emergency (pictured together)
'A week after she was born I had a burst appendix so that was really, really serious,' she said.
'One of the weird things, obviously it was my first pregnancy, so I didn't know (and) I did keep telling them that I had this pain but they just thought "You're having a baby, what do you expect?"
Louise added: 'Literally six days after she was born it burst, while I was in hospital, and it was very dramatic and very traumatic and that's the only thing I've ever had help with actually because I just thought I was going to die.
WHAT IS APPENDICITIS?
Appendicitis is a swelling of the appendix, a two to four-inch-long organ connected to the large intestine.
Appendicitis can cause severe pain and it's important for it to be treated swiftly in case the appendix bursts, which can cause life-threatening illness.
In most cases surgeons will remove the appendix in an appendectomy – scientists aren't sure why people need an appendix but removing it does not harm people.
The causes of appendicitis aren't clear but it is thought to be caused by something blocking the entrance to the organ.
Symptoms include pain in the stomach which later travels to your lower right-hand-side and becomes severe.
Pressing on this area, coughing, or walking can all make the pain worse, and other symptoms can be nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhoea and a fever.
Source: NHS
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Louise and her daughter Mia were later subject to another traumatic situation at the hand of a stalker.
Both the mother and daughter were targeted by ex-soldier Carl Davies – the ex boyfriend of Girls Aloud's Nicola Roberts.
Davies was sentenced to two years and eight months in December 2021 after posting multiple 'intimidating' messages 'intended to maximise fear and distress' to the broadcaster and her daughter's social media accounts over four days between July 14 and 17 2020.
Speaking about the ordeal in the 2022 documentary Louise Minchin: The Truth About Stalking, Mia said: 'I'm logged into mum's Instagram account and suddenly loads of messages started coming.
'They were all kind of just really offensive, calling us not very nice names and then they got much more graphic. It was the kind of actions that he wanted to do against me and mum which got really personal and they weren't nice to read at all.
'I was kind of terrified… shaking. I think my heart was beating really fast. I didn't sleep all night. The entirety of the next day I was in floods of tears.'
She added the experience has had a lasting effect, saying: 'When I'm walking, I'm very conscious of who is behind me, especially not to have my headphones in if it's dark and there's no one else around.'
On Gabby's podcast, Louise was asked about how she copes with traumatic incidences.
'I just tend to, and I really don't think it's the answer, just shut things away and just lock them up,' she said.
Louise, who left BBC Breakfast in September 2021 after 20 years, had been experiencing pain in the lead up to going into labour but it was shrugged off due to her being heavily pregnant
The British broadcaster, 56, and her husband-of-26-years David share two daughters, Mia (right), 22, and Scarlett (left), 19 (Pictured in September)
Of her stalking ordeal, Louise added; 'I've been through quite a few things in my life that I just put them in a box and shut it.
'I'm not saying that's a good thing but now it’s in a box and hopefully stays locked.'
Writing in the Daily Telegraph in 2022, she said it was 'blood chilling' to know a 'faceless stranger' who wanted to do her harm knew where she lived and had stood outside her home.
Louise and her daughter Mia were later subject to another traumatic situation at the hand of a stalker (Pictured together)
Davies' messages included graphic threats and information that showed he knew where the family lived and had visited the location.
Louise told the publication: 'Here was this stranger who knew things you could never have got from just Googling me.
'The details he had about where I live were chilling, he could have only known them if he had been stood right outside my house.'
