Beloved soap opera star Melissa Claire Egan (ex-Chelsea Newman, The Young and the Restless; ex-Annie Chandler, All My Children) has taken to social media with an emotional post that reveals she suffered a miscarriage earlier this year.
The actress shares that she miscarried her pregnancy at eight weeks and had to have a D&C surgery on January 18, 2018 -- just as she was wrapping up her time as Y&R's Chelsea.
"I was so lucky to have my incredible husband and best friends and family in the world there for me, every step of the way," she says along with a photo from her surgery, taken by her husband, Matt Katrosar. "It's so hard, and takes such a toll on you emotionally and physically, hormonally, all of it."
Although she had shared the heartbreaking news with family and friends, she hadn't opened up about it publicly. However, when a friend of hers recently revealed that she had suffered a miscarriage as well, Egan decided to share her story with the hope that doing so would prevent other women from feeling alone after suffering such a tragic loss.
"I'm very candid about my miscarriage with my friends and family and speak openly about it to anyone that asks if we want kids. It's never been a secret... but I hadn't shared it publicly. Not for any particular reason, I just hadn't," she explains. "Then recently a friend that I don't see often told me that sadly she had suffered one as well. She seemed almost relieved when I told her I had the same experience. She told me she had felt alone and like a failure, and less-than, because she hadn't heard other people speak about it. This made me SO SAD, and made me want to share my story. With anyone and everyone. Just so no one feels alone. I promise you you're not alone."
Egan's post also explains that country singer Carrie Underwood's recent interview about miscarriage on CBS Sunday Morning (which you can view at the end of the article) further spurred her to go public about her own loss.
"[The interview] was so beautiful and had me in tears," the actress says. "I was in the thick of my last and final days on Y&R at the time, so I feel her pain over having to 'cry pretty.' (Only a very small group of people knew at the show, and they could not have been more wonderful and took great care of me). I also got such strength from Hilarie Burton and Clair Holt's posts last year. They were so open and honest and supportive and I really admire that and am grateful. So now I'm happy to do the same. Please don't feel alone. Or like a failure. You're everything, and I'm here with you. Much love."
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Egan made her daytime debut as All My Children's Annie McDermott Lavery Chandler, a role which she originated in July 2006. She was an immediate hit with fans and was quick to earn critical acclaim, snagging Daytime Emmy nominations in the Outstanding Supporting Actress category in 2009, 2011, and 2012.
After AMC ended in 2011, Egan joined the cast of The Young and the Restless, where she originated another role, that of Chelsea Lawson. She picked up two more Emmy nominations in 2013 and 2014 as well as a pre-nomination in the Outstanding Lead Actress category earlier this year.
Carrie Underwood's emotional video interview, which inspired Egan to share her own miscarriage story, can be viewed below.
Have you ever opened up about something personal in order to help a loved one or friend? What do you think of Egan bravely sharing her miscarriage experience so others who've suffered miscarriages don't feel alone? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
