Laura Benanti reveals she had a miscarriage while performing in front of 2K people
Laura Benanti revealed that she experienced a miscarriage during a recent performance.
The Tony Award winner shared details of her experience in an emotional Instagram post on April 5. Posting a photo of her onstage on a cruise ship, Benanti, 43, began by writing how two days prior, on April 3, she “performed on stage for 2000 people while having a miscarriage.”
“I knew it was happening. It started slowly the night before. If it had been our first loss, or even our second, I likely wouldn’t have been able to go on,” she continued. “But unfortunately, I am not a stranger to the pain and emptiness of losing a pregnancy. It is a path I have walked before, hand in hand with my husband.”
Benanti wrote how this time, she experienced the pregnancy loss alongside “some of the kindest, most loving humans I will ever have the honor to share space with.” She went on to thank the audience, her band, her crew, as well as her friends and fellow performers “for rallying around me and so graciously accommodating my changing needs.”
“The Gilded Age” actor and husband Patrick Brown share 6-year-old Ella and almost-9-month-old Louisa, who they had with the help of a surrogate.
In her message, Benanti also expressed her gratitude for her mother-and-father-in-law “for shielding Ella from the reality of this experience and giving her the time of her life while ‘Mama’s back hurt’.”
“Thank you to that little soul for choosing me as your home, even for a short time,” she wrote. “Patrick and I are so grateful for the family that we have, and the miracle of our two little girls. One carried by me and one carried by an angel-on-earth.”
And while she and her husband are heartbroken, she wrote that they will move through this together “as we, and so many others, have done before.”
She concluded by noting that she decided to share the news of her pregnancy loss to remind people and families that there is no shame in this kind of loss and that they are not alone. “And to remind myself as well,” she added.
The "Life & Beth" actor received a number of supportive messages from friends like Amy Sedaris, Amy Schumer, Yvette Nicole Brown and singer Jewel, among others.
The day she suffered the loss, Benanti shared a sweet clip of her and daughter Ella performing a medley of lullabies including “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
“Such a precious moment,” read the Instagram video's caption.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
