Anne Diamond has recalled losing her son Sebastian, praising the man who helped her deal with her baby's death back in 1991. During an appearance on Loose Women on Friday, Anne and her fellow panellists reflected on their individual 'heroes', with the presenter saying that her doctor helped her recover from the trauma.
"When my baby died the family rallied round," said Anne, 62. "My husband was a rock, but we got thrust so quickly into the cot death campaign. I was told I needed to go home and grieve. It hit me later. I was warned that it would. About six months after the campaign, I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't function. It was awful. And I thank god, my rock at that moment was my GP.
Anne lost her son Sebastian to cot death in 1991
"I went to him and I said to him, 'Please, please, give me sleeping pills. I've got to sleep.' And he said, 'Look, I will do that. I could even maybe prescribe you anti-depressants but before I prescribe you anything, will you do me a favour and just try a bereavement counsellor?' And I remember saying at the time, 'What good could that do? The only thing that's ever going to make me feel better, is to give me my baby back. And you can't do that, a bereavement counsellor can't do that.' And he said, 'Alright, I get where you're coming from, but just try it, will you?' My bereavement counsellor was wonderful."
Anne's baby boy was her third child with ex-husband Mike Hollingsworth. Sebastian sadly died in July 1991 as a result of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Ever since, the TV star has been campaigning for vital research into SIDS. In February of this year, Anne again spoke on Loose Women about losing her son. Discussing "sliding doors" moments, she said her son "would still be alive" if the family had lived in Bristol, where researchers have made pioneering discoveries about SIDS.