Erin Andrews reveals surrogate suffered miscarriage: 'I have dealt with this before'
Sportscaster Erin Andrews is sharing an intimate story of loss.
During a May 22 episode of "Calm Down with Erin and Charissa," the podcast she co-hosts with fellow sports journalist Charissa Thompson, Andrews revealed that the surrogate who was carrying her second child had suffered a miscarriage.
Andrews, who shares a son, Mack, 2, with husband Jarret Stoll, told listeners that she was at first hesitant to share the news but decided it might be therapeutic.
"I have dealt with this before," she said, "but things were going really, really well. And her little heartbeat and her numbers were really good – so much so I even told you guys (her podcast team) a couple weeks ago because we thought we had such good news."
"I've been trying really hard to pay attention, I've just been tearing up the whole time and trying to stay focused," she said of the podcast episode. "But I'm also really, really good at suppressing my feelings and work really helps me with that.
"I kind of made a promise to myself … that I was just going to be honest with people," she said, revealing this is not the first time a surrogate for her and Stoll had suffered a miscarriage.
"When I was first dealing with all these infertility issues and loss … I just wanted to let other people know that we're dealing with them, that I get it and I understand," Andrews continued. "And I'm going to do that again. This really, really sucks but so many people are dealing with it, so if you feel alone and you feel like a failure, I do, too. But you're not the only one."
She admitted she "didn't want to be back here in the loss column," but pressed the importance of sharing her journey and others feeling emboldened to do the same. The loss has also made her more grateful for her son Mack, Andrews said, who was also delivered via surrogate.
Surrogacy, which has become more common in recent years, refers to the practice of a woman, contracted by a couple or individual, carrying an embryo to term that they do not have a biological relationship to.
The process has grown in popularity as the conversation around fertility struggles breaks from a whisper to an outspoken roar and as celebrities like Andrews share their experiences with surrogacy.