Louise Thompson’s relationship with Ryan Libbey ‘fell apart’ amid PTSD

Louise Thompson has revealed she and her fiancé Ryan Libbey’s relationship ‘completely fell apart’ after her difficult childbirth. 

The Made In Chelsea star, 34, nearly died during her son Leo’s birth and spent five weeks in hospital suffering with ‘serious complications’ in 2021.

She has since been battling post-traumatic stress disorder and post-natal anxiety, admitting during one week in January 2022 that she cried up to 20 times.

Speaking to Closer magazine, Louise told how her health woes caused her relationship with personal trainer Ryan to suffer to the point their friends and family thought they were going to split up.   

She said: ‘Trauma trickles through every single aspect of your life. Now I’m in a place two and a half years later down the line where I look back, and I am thanking Ryan for various things he did.

‘But there were moments early on where we completely fell apart – we had no relationship. 

‘We shouldn’t have stayed together. Things were really destructive. I think we were both just dealing with our own versions of trauma and handling it very differently.’

Louise added it was ‘really hard’ for Ryan to watch the person he loved ‘completely fall apart’ and she doesn’t think he knew how to handle it. 

The star is glad now that she and Ryan battled through the difficult period together and she doesn’t think any of her past relationships would have survived it. 

The couple delayed their wedding plans due to Louise’s health problems and during a recent conversation, Ryan told her getting married would mean a lot to him.

The pair are once again in the early stages of planning their nuptials. Louise insisted she is in no rush and has set a tentative date for the end of next year. 

In December, Louise shared how she felt ‘slightly lost’ during the Christmas break after making herself ‘silly levels of busy’ in a bid to manage her struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The TV personality added that in 2024 she is focused on ‘getting well’ and ‘pausing’ is a ‘project she needs to sink her teeth into.’ 

Louise and Ryan did not announce the arrival of their child for five weeks after serious complications during the birth.

On December 23, 2021, Louise announced the birth of her son on her Instagram page and revealed she had been discharged from hospital to recover at home. 

She said: ‘5 weeks ago I gave birth to my beautiful baby boy Leo-Hunter Libbey weighing in at 7lbs. Unfortunately it wasn’t the easiest start for either of us. One ended up in NICU and the other ended up in ICU.

Louise said that Leo recovered quickly, but she had to deal with ‘many bad things’, saying: ‘To dance with death twice brings a whole new view of the world.’

In December, two years after Leo’s birth, she reflected on the time since the traumatic series of events. 

She said: ‘Here’s a reminder that a lot can change in a year. A lot can change in 6 months. Indeed a lot can change in a month but it’s hard to witness the change until you create some sizeable distance from it.

‘I’m crying writing this. I’m feeling very emotional today. I can’t lie it feels nice to purge my pain. I encourage you to try writing and crying too. 

‘Sometimes it helps. But the main reason I’m writing this is because I really want you guys to know that you must keep moving forward. Don’t give up. Because there will be a time when you will want to wear a pretty party dress again. You will shine again.’