Married At First Sight UK star Holly Ditchfield has announced that her premature twin sons died nine days after their birth, saying she and her partner Aaron Summers are trying to come to terms with “a pain no parent should ever have to know”.
The boys, Georgie and Marley, were born on 26 August at 23 weeks and five days. They died within hours of one another after receiving specialist care in a neonatal intensive care unit.
In a post on Instagram, Ditchfield said Georgie died at 1pm on Thursday 3 September, followed by Marley at 5am the next day.
“My beautiful boys, Georgie & Marley. It has been the hardest, most heartbreaking, yet most magical nine days of our lives,” she wrote.
Ditchfield said both children died in the arms of their parents, describing the experience as “the greatest privilege” as well as an immeasurable pain.
“My boys are together again now, just as they should be, and I pray with all my heart that they are finally at peace,” she added.
The reality star said nothing could have prepared her and Summers for losing their children or for taking them to a mortuary. She described her heart as “completely bruised” after the ordeal.
However, she said the nine days the twins were alive would remain precious to the family.
“For nine precious days, they were here. They were ours. They were loved beyond measure. And they will forever be our beautiful boys,” she wrote.
Ditchfield also asked for privacy as she and Summers grieve the loss of their sons, saying they were trying to process the tragedy while holding on to the memories of their short lives.
The couple had announced the twins’ arrival the previous week, when Ditchfield described the birth as one of the most frightening and emotional experiences of their lives.
