LW: Zach George in tears as he opens up on losing his son

Gladiators star Steel broke down on Tuesday’s (August 12) Loose Women as he sobbed, “He passed away in my arms”.

The TV personality, whose full name is Zack George, appeared on the ITV programme with his wife, Samantha, to raise awareness of baby loss.

The couple announced the tragic death of their baby son, Leo, back in April, just days after he was born prematurely. Zack and Samantha are also parents to two-year-old Ivy.

On today’s Loose Women, the couple recalled Leo’s birth, which occurred at 23 weeks after Samantha knew “something wasn’t right”.

“It’s not what you expect… We were in total shock, didn’t know how to deal with it,” Zack said.

Zack George and his wife Samantha appeared on Loose Women on Tuesday (Image: ITV)

Leo was born two days after Samantha was admitted to the hospital, weighing just one pound eight ounces.

“We were, kind of, super nervous, super scared. The doctors were absolutely amazing. They rushed him away, did all the checks they needed to do,” Zack explained, adding that they weren’t allowed to hold their son at first.

Samantha added, “As soon as we knew he was alive, our instant thought was, ‘He’s going to be fine. He’s alive.”

However, after three or four days, several complications began to arise for Leo, including brain bleeds, collapsed lungs, and a hole in his heart.

The couple lost their baby son Leo earlier this year (Image: ITV)

“One of my biggest regrets is that I was a bit too scared to hold him. He was so small and fragile, I never held him until the very last day and that evening, we got the call that things aren’t looking good,” Zack then shared.

As he recalled the heartbreaking loss, Zack broke down in tears, with his wife rushing to comfort him.

“That’s the only time I got to hold him, when he passed away. It’s a magical moment, but no parent should ever hold their baby till he stops breathing,” he emotionally added.

Myleene Klass, who has tirelessly raised awareness of miscarriage over the last few years, was also left in tears, saying: “I’m so sorry. I think you’re so brave.”

Zack broke down in tears during the live interview (Image: ITV)

She added: “To turn pain into power, to be able to put those words out there for so many people who are so scared of this taboo of miscarriage, of baby loss. Like you said, you don’t hear about it anywhere because people are so frightened of it, but it’s happening to so many.”

Zack then explained that he wanted to turn his grief into something positive, so he organised a special challenge to raise awareness.

“When Leo actually passed away, the way I deal with grief is I have to have something positive come out of the situation… I have to try and turn it into something positive, get something good out of it. So, straight away, I just thought of a challenge I’m going to do,” he said.

The challenge, titled 13 Days Fighting, is a tribute to Leo’s 13 days of life and will help support families who have experienced premature baby loss. It will start on August 18th and conclude on August 30th

Baroness Jacqui Smith quizzed about ‘smash the gangs’ pledg

Baroness Jacqui Smith was branded “clueless” by BBC Breakfast viewers as she spoke about new figures that are believed to show the number of migrants who’ve crossed the Channel since Labour was elected. The Education minister squirmed as she was quizzed about the “smash the gangs” pledge and on the number of migrants who have passed 50,000 since Keir Starmer became Prime Minister. She spoke about the Borders Bill, which aims to “challenge the gangs,” but was asked if she would fulfill that pledge, as “so many people are coming over and it doesn’t feel it’s being fulfilled.” She argued that Labour is “already making progress”, but understands “how concerning it is.”

Jacqui said, “We understand how concerning this is to people. We understand that people might think that we don’t have a grip on our borders. It’s concerning because this is a terrible trade in which people die and are exploited for profit.

Jacqui Smith was quizzed on BBC Breakfast about the “smash the gangs (Image: BBC)

“The deal with the French and more powers for our border force to make arrests – in terms of the doubling of the asylum claims – decisions will then be made quickly, and if you don’t have a right to be here, you will be returned.”

Fans reacted to the interview on social media, with one BBC viewer complaining: “Clueless! All men of fighting age arriving daily by dinghy! Just needed navy deployed to the channel to turn back the dinghies! How hard can it be?”

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Another also argued: “Labour said boat arrivals would go down under them – they’ve gone up by 50%. Not good.” A third simply said: “‘Concerning.’ You have no idea.”

Yesterday, a GB News star reacted to the news that Keir Starmer’s Chagos Islands deal could cost ten times more than previously thought. Dawn Neesom appeared on the breakfast show alongside Eamonn Holmes and Ellie Costello to discuss the news.

Speaking about the Chagos deal, which is now estimated to cost £35billion according to official documents, the panel reacted that the Prime Minister “doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

The figure, which was released to the Conservative Party under the Freedom of Information Act, is far higher than previously claimed. The Prime Minister said in public that the deal would cost £3.4billion over a century, accounting for other discounts and inflation.

Dawn reacted and said: “Well, is our Prime Minister a liar or is he stupid? I don’t understand how this does not make sense. We were told that it would only cost £3.4billion in 99 years – but now we have found out the actual figures are close to £34.7billion.”