Reality TV star Louise Thompson has said she is “still in shock” after a visit to 10 Downing Street to hand over a petition to appoint a maternity commissioner and improve care for mothers and babies.
Campaign for better maternity services
The former Made In Chelsea star, 36, nearly died after undergoing an emergency Caesarean section while giving birth to her son Leo in November 2021, and has subsequently suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Thompson has since dedicated herself to campaigning for improved maternity services, having protested on College Green in Westminster and met MPs including former health secretary Wes Streeting to raise awareness of the issue.
TV personality Thompson and Conservative MP Theo Clarke co-created a petition calling for the appointment of a maternity commissioner and a national maternity strategy, which has more than 167,000 signatures. They visited the Prime Minister’s residence this week to hand in the petition, along with a large box of letters received from “brave families” sharing stories about their own experiences.
Emotional response to the visit
Thompson posted a video to Instagram on Wednesday night to reveal the update in her campaign, and wrote: “Have held it together all week, but creating this and re-watching it over and over again to remind myself that this is actually real and that this day really happened is making me cry and it’s a huge release. I feel like I just woke up from the biggest haze.”
Thompson continued: “I feel emotional because I’m really just a normal girl whose life got totally torn apart one day and I never thought I’d get back to a normal life let alone achieving things like this. I wanted to say the biggest thank you for all the brave brave families who emailed us letters sharing your stories so that we could take them with us. This was really important to me and my intimate and brilliant team.”
The TV star went on to say she is “merely a mouthpiece” for supporters of the campaign, and added: “I think I’m still a little in shock because I’ve realised this isn’t actually the end of the mission. It’s only just the beginning. There is a lot of work to do. Love you all.”
Thompson's personal health struggles
Thompson has been outspoken about maternity care since the birth of her son, during which she needed an emergency Caesarean section after her baby’s head became wedged in her pelvis during the late stages of labour. The NHS medical team operated for three hours to stop a haemorrhage while she was awake and not under general anaesthetic. Subsequent PTSD episodes left her screaming in bed and paralysed.
Thompson was later fitted with a stoma bag after having her colon removed due to ulcerative colitis, a chronic bowel condition which leads to parts of the gut becoming swollen, inflamed and ulcerated. She also suffers from lupus, a chronic autoimmune condition which has left her with exhaustion and joint pain, and said she was diagnosed with hydrosalpinx – a condition where a fallopian tube becomes blocked and swells with fluid. Thompson has written a book about her health struggles, Lucky, which was published in 2024.
