Chrissy Teigen and John Legend open up about their 'complete and utter grief' in 1st interview since pregnancy loss
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend have given their first interview together since their pregnancy loss.
Less than two months after the Lip Sync Battle host and cookbook author, 34, lost her pregnancy at 20 weeks — a baby boy she and the 41-year-old singer were to name Jack — they opened up to Good Morning America about their “complete and utter grief” and how it’s made them stronger as a couple. They also talked about criticism they faced after sharing photos documenting their pain.
"I definitely give myself permission to have complete and utter grief," Teigen said. "Every day is so different. So when people ask me how I'm doing I always say I'm okay — today."
Legend praised his wife for being “courageous enough” to share their loss with the world — as she went through it in the hospital and in the private photos they shared after showing them saying goodbye to Jack.
Teigen said she has “thousands of letters” that were sent to her after the loss. “Obviously it’s so painful to go through something like this as a woman — something that was inside your body, you’re nurturing and taking care of. But obviously there’s a father involved and the support for the both of us has just been so beautiful, so incredible.”
As for those photos, which she addressed in an essay, “I don’t care if you were offended or disgusted. I understand it can be that way for people. It was designed for people that were hurting.”
Legend admitted he had apprehensions about taking the pictures, saying he didn’t want to “commemorate” the pain. However, the “thing about having a miscarriage is you don’t walk away with anything. You have this emptiness and we wanted to take the photos to have something to remember it by.”
And the “outpouring of love” they received, Legend said, drowned out any negativity.
“The world is inherently good,” Teigen said. “As hard as it was, it is beautiful to see this side of it.”
Legend said he loves Teigen — with whom he shares Luna, 4, and Miles, 2 — “more than ever. We’ve been through so many challenges together and they’ve made us stronger, and I know that doesn’t always happen when people go through tragedy. But I feel like the challenges we face together have made us feel even more sure about who we are together as a couple, and who we are as a family... We’re stronger together than we’ve ever been.”
The pair also spoke about partnering with Ronald McDonald House Charities to help give back to other families with critically ill or injured children.
Teigen didn’t reveal what was behind her post over the weekend about having just had the “hardest 4 days of my life” (below). However, it’s been a rough few months — first with pregnancy complications, then the pregnancy loss, grieving the baby with their two children and receiving the baby’s ashes, which Teigen said they plan to put "into the soil of a tree in our new home, the one we [bought] with his room in mind."
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