In a deeply emotional episode of ITV’s Loose Women, panellist Myleene Klass was moved to tears as she comforted Gladiators star Zack George, known as Steel on BBC One’s Gladiators, and his wife Samantha. The couple opened up about the devastating loss of their newborn son, Leo, who tragically passed away earlier this year at just 13 days old. Their raw and heartfelt conversation struck a chord, leaving viewers and the studio audience grappling with the weight of their grief.
Leo was born prematurely at 23 weeks, with doctors warning Zack and Samantha that his chances of survival were slim. Despite the odds, the couple clung to hope during Leo’s brief life. Samantha shared the rollercoaster of emotions they endured, describing the agonizing highs and lows of their time in the neonatal intensive care unit. “They always say how much of a rocky road it is, and it’s true,” she said. “You have some really good days where you think, ‘He’s going to come out of here amazing,’ and then other days when the consultant calls you into a room and talks to you as if he only has 12 hours to live.”
Myleene, visibly moved, reached out to hold Samantha’s hand, her voice breaking as she said through tears, “I’m so sorry. I think you’re so brave. So brave.” She went on to commend the couple’s courage, noting, “The fact that you can even say the words four months later.” The tenderness of the moment was palpable, as Myleene’s empathy resonated with the couple’s unimaginable pain.
Zack, who has been channeling his grief into raising awareness for premature baby loss, shared his decision to undertake a grueling challenge: a burpee mile for 13 days, symbolizing the 13 days they had with Leo. “When Leo eventually passed away, the way I deal with grief is that I have to have something positive come out of that situation,” he explained. “I have to try to turn it into a positive somehow and get some good out of it.”
In a heart-wrenching revelation, Zack admitted one of his deepest regrets: his fear of holding Leo because of how small and fragile he was. “I never held him until the very last day,” he said, his voice heavy with emotion. Samantha added a devastating detail, sharing that Leo passed away in Zack’s arms. “He did pass away when Zack was holding him,” she said softly. Zack, struggling to hold back tears, said, “No parent should ever hold their baby until their heart stops beating.”
Myleene praised the couple for their strength in speaking out about such a profoundly painful experience. “You’ve turned pain into power,” she told them. “To be able to put those words out there for so many people who are so scared of that taboo—of miscarriage, of baby loss. It’s happening to so many. It shouldn’t normalize it, but it should make people feel less alone.”