Danny Cipriani has said his fiancee Victoria Rose had a miscarriage, but that the couple had “supported each other through it and found our love grew and got stronger”.
The rugby star shared the news in a post on Instagram.
He wrote: “It’s been a challenging year, for many different reasons. I’ve had to emotionally overcome and heal in different ways that I haven’t experienced before. In doing so it brought up old trauma and wounds that were unresolved.
“Then the most beautiful thing happened, I was going to be a father and I fell in love. Deeply in love.
“For me falling in love was the scariest thing to do hence my behaviour over the years, she is the most magnificent, kind, wise, and beautiful person I’ve ever met.”
He added: “At 24 weeks we lost River, our son.”
Cipriani said the situation “was and is always going to be difficult, but we supported each other through it and found our love grew and got stronger”.
“This may seem a sad post, it isn’t,” he added.
“This break now from last season and reflecting is a special place to be. I’m more determined than ever to keep growing learning and loving with my woman.”
He added that he is looking to “represent myself the best I can on the field which to this day I still don’t think I have done”.
The future is “exciting” but will take “hard work”, he said, adding: “I’m ready.”
The couple confirmed their engagement in August on Instagram, and Cipriani shared a post in early September that led many to speculate as to whether they had got married.
Alongside a picture of Victoria, he wrote: “Introducing @victoriarosecipriani – pinch myself every day!”
