A Terrifying Ordeal: Jamie Laing Recounts Emergency C-Section
Jamie Laing, the former star of Strictly Come Dancing, has opened up about the harrowing experience of his wife Sophie Habboo’s emergency C-section, describing it as the “scariest thing I’ve ever been through.” The unexpected complications arose when their son, Ziggy, became lodged with an arm presenting through the cervix, a situation that left Laing feeling utterly powerless.
Sophie, 31, who welcomed their son at the renowned Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital – the same place the Princess of Wales gave birth – admitted to being “really scared” as the labour deviated significantly from her birth plan. Despite the frightening circumstances, both parents expressed profound gratitude for their son’s safe arrival.
“From my point of view, it was the scariest thing I have ever been through in my entire life,” Jamie, 37, confessed. “Watching your wife go through that, the person you love, and this baby, and you have no control. It was the most terrifying thing ever. Nothing can prepare you for that.”
Sophie echoed his sentiments, stating, “The complications were really scary. Obviously, it wasn’t the birth I planned or necessarily wanted, it was scary, but birth is different for every woman and however you do it is incredible and he’s here and he’s healthy and they were incredible.”
The former Made In Chelsea couple, who met on the E4 series in 2017, have documented their journey into parenthood in a new three-part Disney+ series, Raising Chelsea. The show chronicles their pregnancy and the unexpected drama surrounding Ziggy’s birth.
Capturing such a pivotal and intensely personal moment for television was not a decision made lightly. Sophie initially expressed a strong desire for privacy during the birth. However, her perspective shifted after viewing the raw, emotional footage, which was filmed by their anaesthetist.
“I’ll be honest, I said, ‘I’m really sorry guys, I really don’t want the birth to be filmed, I really need that moment to be a private moment,’” Sophie recalled. “And what happened was there were complications, and I ended up having an emergency C-section. The anaesthetist took our phone to take photos and filmed the entire thing… we didn’t even know, we had no idea.”
She continued, “The next day, I was looking at all the photos of the birth, and I was like, oh my God, there’s an 11-minute-long video. I pressed play, and it was so emotional.”
Jamie, who embraces being in front of the cameras and believes in the power of storytelling, admitted he was surprised by the palpable love between him and Sophie evident in the unscripted footage. “It was the most amazing, romantic, and what’s incredible about that moment, Sophie and I didn’t know it was being filmed because it was supposed to be for our own personal use, but watching it I was like, oh my God, Soph, look how in love we are, you’re seeing it from an outside perspective.”
He added, “And Soph, after thinking about it for a long time, said I think we should put that in because it’ll be amazing to see. That was a very scary moment because the birth – I now salute all women, I walk down the street and if I see a woman with a pram I’m like, you hero. It’s unbelievable.”
The series promises an unfiltered look at their lives, detailing not only the pregnancy but also their transition from a London apartment to a newly renovated family home.
Filming around the clock presented a unique challenge for Sophie, especially during a time when she craved privacy more than ever. “It was very unknown, we went from Made In Chelsea and then we did the podcast, it was two and a half hours a week being recorded and then it went out, but this was really different,” she explained. “This is them in our bedroom, this is them at our scans, watching the birth… it’s so different, I was nervous.”
Sophie admitted, “It was hard for me at first. I have never craved privacy more than I did when I was pregnant which was really crazy because then I was filming a TV show. It was strange at first because I was anxious, it was my first time, I felt really nervous about lots of different things but looking back, I’m really glad we did do that because we have captured it all and now I’m past it it’s so nice to look back on.”
True to their word, the series doesn’t shy away from depicting their real-life arguments. Sophie expresses frustration with Jamie’s perceived phone-centric habits, fearing he prioritises his businesses, including the confectionery brand Candy Kittens, over their shared time. One particular attempt by Jamie to mend fences with an elaborate gesture backfired spectacularly.
Amidst the emotional rollercoaster of pregnancy and filming, Sophie experienced intense anxiety over stomach cramps, fearing the worst and leading to an emergency check-up. “The arguments… I didn’t expect them to be kept in; I was like surely, we’re going to ask them to be cut out,” Sophie confessed. “That was really hard and the moments where I was nervous with the baby and the movements, I was trying to hold it in, but that’s the reality and that’s what happened. It was hard feeling that vulnerable with cameras but as time went on, the team and the production behind it were so amazing, they became family to us and by the end of it, I didn’t even realise they were there.”
The couple celebrated the launch of Raising Chelsea, which became available to stream on April 2, at a glamorous event at Battersea Power Station. The occasion was attended by close friends and family, including former Made In Chelsea co-stars like Oliver Proudlock and Sam Thompson.
Notably absent from the celebrations were Jamie’s former best friend Spencer Matthews and his wife Vogue Williams. A rift had formed between Jamie and Spencer following Jamie’s exclusion from the couple’s London legal wedding ceremony in 2023. While they had addressed the issue on the Great Company podcast, their absence at the launch suggested lingering tensions.
When asked about celebrity friends who have offered parenting advice, Jamie and Sophie did not mention Spencer or Vogue, despite Spencer being a father of three. Instead, Jamie praised the support from other public figures. “Jamie Oliver and his wife have been so lovely,” he shared. “It’s funny, all of the parents, Davina McCall and Fearne Cotton, Jessie J and Tom Davis, they’ve all been just really, really lovely and kind. I mean, so many people have reached out. Alex Jones was very lovely, she sent me a message just saying, ‘God, I’m just so happy for you.’ Lots of people have been super lovely.”
Jamie’s public profile has grown significantly through his participation in Strictly Come Dancing in 2020 and his hosting duties on Radio 1’s Going Home show. His popularity surged further after completing a challenging 150-mile ultra-marathon for Comic Relief in March 2025, raising over £2 million for mental health initiatives.
It was during a period of recovery following this gruelling challenge that Jamie and Sophie jetted off to the luxury resort Six Senses Zighy Bay in Oman, where their son Ziggy was conceived. “Ziggy’s name is where we conceived him,” Jamie revealed. “We conceived him in a place called Zighy Bay. I was depleted of any energy, and Sophie thought this was my chance and so it happened, so it was either going to be that or Watford. Watford or Ziggy and we chose Ziggy.”
Sophie playfully added, “Straight after Jamie’s ultramarathon – we went to Zighy Bay. I got him when he was vulnerable.”
Raising Chelsea is currently streaming on Disney+ from April 2nd.
