Monique Coleman Shares the 'Special' Way Costar Corbin Bleu Supported Her After Her Miscarriage
Monique Coleman is opening up about pregnancy loss.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the actress reveals that she suffered a miscarriage before filming her upcoming Lifetime Christmas movie, A Christmas Dance Reunion, with Corbin Bleu.
Though it was an emotional time for the actress, she says that her former High School Musical costar Bleu and his wife Sasha Clements were incredibly supportive during filming.
"I thought that I was going to be doing the movie pregnant," she says. "If I was pregnant, I was excited to be with Corbin and Sasha because I knew that they would be able to carry me and hold me through that experience. And when I wasn't, they were also able to be there for me in a way that I can't even really describe."
Coleman shares that she had been filming the movie on Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day on Oct. 15, during which Bleu and Clements lit a candle in her honor.
"They sent a photo and a prayer and told me that they were thinking of me," she recalls. "We were in quarantine in our respective rooms, but to be able to talk to them about that and to bond with them in this really difficult time where I'm alone in a room by myself, but not to feel alone, was just so special."
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"This industry is very difficult," she adds. "The rejection that we go through, the ups and downs, the one minute you're hot and everybody cares and the next minute nobody cares, that can really take a toll. So to be with people that really can carry you on screen, but then also have respect and love for your personal wellbeing and mental health and emotional health, that is such a priceless experience."
Coleman — who tied the knot with husband Walter Jordan in 2016 — previously opened up about pregnancy loss in October 2019, sharing a performance piece titled "Unborn."
"On August 7, 2019 I had a miscarriage," she wrote alongside the video. "For the first time in my life, I couldn't string together eloquent enough words to express what I had been through in a meaningful and impactful way. However, when I learned that 1 in 4 women experiences this devastating and unexplainable loss I knew I couldn't remain silent."
In an effort to reduce the stigma around pregnancy loss, Coleman said at the time that she "decided to use the language of dance to say what I couldn't with words" with the help of choreographer Bonnie Story and director Kelly King. "I pray that this piece promotes brave conversation & healing and above all makes our spirit baby proud."