Hafthor Julius Bjornsson and his wife Kelsey Henson shared some tragic news with fans on Instagram last week. The couple suffered a miscarriage on Wednesday, Nov. 8, just over 21 weeks into their pregnancy. Henson wrote about the experience online in the hopes of helping others understand it.
Bjornsson and Henson announced that they were expecting their second child in late October. The Game of Thrones star and fitness influencer already shared a 3-year-old son named Stormur, and Henson was well into her second pregnancy when they decided to announce it publicly. At nearly five months, the pregnancy was far enough along to be considered a stillbirth rather than a miscarriage last week, but Henson referred to it both ways in her post. She wrote: “It is with great sorrow that we announce the birth of our daughter, Grace Morgan Hafthorsdottir born Nov 8th at 21 1/2 weeks gestation.”
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“After a noticeable decrease in movement we found out her heart had stopped beating,” Henson went on. “Words cannot describe our pain of this loss or our happiness at being able to spend time with our daughter. She is absolutely beautiful, with blonde lashes and brows and a little smile for mom and dad. The love we feel for her is overwhelming. The grief we feel will be with us forever but so will the love.”
“All of our hopes and dreams for her have been taken away from us but I know I will be with her again. Her spirit lives on through us and her siblings. We ask that you respect our privacy at this time as we grieve this unbearable loss. Thank you all for any kind words and support,” Henson concluded.
The post racked up over half a million likes and an outpouring of support and condolences in the comments. The top comment came from Arnold Schwarzenegger himself, who wrote: “My heart is with both of you. Please let me know if you need anything and know that you’re in my thoughts.”
Schwarzenegger and Bjornsson have met several times through the world of strength sports. Bjornsson won the Arnold Strongman Classic competition three years in a row, among his many other accomplishments in the sport of strongman. His imposing physique also landed him the role of Ser Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane on HBO’s Game of Thrones. However, in recent years fans have come to know him and Henson on a much more personal level through social media, where they document their training, their growing family and other lifestyle updates for fans.
Those fans are doing their best to send love and support to Bjornsson and Henson at this time. After Friday’s tragic update, the two have been silent online.