EastEnders actor William Ellis pays tribute to late baby son Dash as he shares heartbreaking experience to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week
- For help and support with baby loss contact Tommy's, a miscarriage, premature birth and stillbirth charity, at mailbox@tommys.org or call 0800 0147 800
EastEnders actor William Ellis paid tribute to his late son Dash in a heartfelt Instagram post on Tuesday to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week.
The soap star, 43, who plays Theo Hawthorne, and his wife Alice were left heartbroken when their child passed away in 2017 at just one week old.
In a touching tribute to his son he lit a candle in his honour and vowed to 'always keep his memory alive.'
William shared a black and white photo of himself and Alice, as they cradled Dash in the hospital after he was born prematurely at 25 weeks.
He captioned: 'This week is Baby Loss Awareness week, and ends with a Wave of Light on Sunday 15th when we - as a family - light a candle in memory of our wee boy, Dash, who we lost in 2017.'
Grief: EastEnders actor William Ellis, 43, paid tribute to his late son Dash in a heartfelt Instagram post on Tuesday to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week
On screen: The soap star, who plays Theo Hawthorne (pictured on EastEnders), and his wife Alice were left heartbroken when their child passed away in 2017 at just one week old
The actor continued: 'It’s important for us to keep his memory alive and in doing so wear our grief visibly at times, for that allows us to remember it mattered. Sending love and light to everyone affected by this type of loss.'
In an interview with The Times in 2021, his wife Alice discussed their grief, explaining that the couple were 'over the moon' when they conceived Dash after going through IVF.
During a holiday to Ibiza, Alice was airlifted to hospital in Mallorca for medical support, but sadly Dash passed away a week after the birth.
Two years later, on the same date that Dash died, their son, Odie, was born.
Last week, William thanked his fans following his character Theo's recent storyline with Stacey Slater.
Theo had been harassing Stacey for weeks and police claimed they have no evidence to arrest him.
He then trashed her house, after breaking in and sending flowers, and also moved in next door. The stalker was later attacked by Freddie Slater (Bobby Brazier)
'Can I just come on here and say a massive thank you to everyone for your overwhelming messages of support for this week on EastEnders, the really, really tricky stuff that we shot,' he said in an Instagram video.
William continued: 'It's so lovely to see you all so invested in it.'
Heartfelt: In a touching tribute to his son he lit a candle in his honour and vowed to 'always keep his memory alive'
Plot: Last week, William thanked his fans following his character Theo's recent storyline with Stacey Slater
'It wasn't easy this week and it was my privilege to be able to work with the likes of Lacey Turner and Bobby Brazier, who are just outstanding, they're smashing it out of the park at the moment.
'It's a real honour to be part of the show, especially when it's in the place it's in at the moment.
'It's absolutely fizzing and that's thanks to the great writing and Chris [Clenshaw] at the top steering the ship. So thank you all and I'll see you soon.'
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
