// BBC ENTERTAINMENT & ARTS — MODA & SOCIETÀ
Russell Howard 'devastated' after his baby son died shortly after birth
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Comedian Russell Howard has revealed his baby son Felix died earlier this year, shortly after his wife Cerys had given birth.
In a statement, he said he and his wife had faced "unimaginable heartache" and described it as "the most devastating time of our lives".
Howard praised the "extraordinary compassion, kindness and humanity" of the hospital staff who cared for them over the period that followed Felix's death.
He also announced the launch of a new foundation in their late son's name to help families going through similar ordeals, with a comedy fundraiser set to take place next year.
In a statement posted on his social media accounts, external on Friday, Howard recalled: "During our time in hospital, Felix was placed in a cool cot, which meant that my wife and I were able to spend precious hours with our beautiful boy.
"We could hold him, talk to him and tell him how much we loved him. Those hours are among the most precious memories we have of Felix."
Howard and his wife had not publicly announced at the time that they were expecting their second child.
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He explained he and his wife had been assigned a bereavement midwife named Lauren, who had experienced a similar tragedy and retrained in order to help other families.