Janet Ellis Opens Up About Suffering 10 Miscarriages in Five-Year Period
Former Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis has revealed a deeply personal chapter of her life, disclosing that she experienced 10 miscarriages over a concentrated five-year period. The television personality, now in her late sixties, made these revelations during a recent interview, explaining that this difficult journey occurred when she was between the ages of 35 and 40.
Medical Mystery and Deliberate Secrecy
Ellis explained that despite being referred to a specialist recurrent miscarriage clinic after her third pregnancy loss, medical professionals were never able to determine a cause for the repeated miscarriages. "After three, you become a patient at the recurrent miscarriage clinic," she stated. "But they never discovered why it happened."
The decision to keep this painful experience private was a conscious one. Ellis chose not to inform her famous daughter, singer Sophie Ellis Bextor, for many years. Her primary motivations were twofold:
- She did not want to burden her daughter with the emotional weight of the situation.
- She was concerned that knowledge of the miscarriages might discourage Sophie from having more children herself.
"I didn't want to burden her," Ellis said of her daughter. "And I didn't want to put her off having more children."
Protecting Her Children's Childhood
At the time of the miscarriages, Janet Ellis was already a mother to three children: Sophie from her marriage to Robin Bextor, and later, daughter Martha-Rose and son Jackson with her late husband John Leach. Protecting their innocence and normalcy was a paramount concern.
"I already had three children, and I didn't want to lose their childhoods," she explained. "They didn't know anything about what was happening. I didn't want them ever to think that I was unwell because of it."
Current Family Dynamics and Living Arrangements
The interview also shed light on current family connections. It was revealed that Sophie Ellis Bextor's eldest son, 21-year-old Sonny, is now living with his grandmother Janet. Sonny moved out of the family's west London home, where he shared space with his four younger brothers, to reside with Ellis.
Sonny described the move as seeking more personal space, noting the busy nature of the family home. "I think it got to the point, back home, where I needed more space," he said. "Three of my brothers shared a room. The only time the house got quiet was when everyone was in bed."
He expressed that his grandmother's house had always felt like a second home and that their relationship has flourished since the move. "We've always been close but we're closer than ever now," Sonny remarked, adding that while they enjoy meals together, they also maintain their independence. He has no immediate plans to leave, valuing the home comforts and their strengthened bond.
Sophie Ellis Bextor shares five sons with her husband, Richard Jones, bassist for the band The Feeling.
Support Information: For anyone affected by issues discussed in this article, support is available from organisations like the Miscarriage Association.
