Claire Holt opens up on her miscarriage: 'I’ve never felt more broken'

Pretty Little Liars star Claire Holt had "never felt more broken" than she did waiting to undergo surgery following her miscarriage.
 
Little over a week ago, the Australian actress received the heartbreaking news that her unborn baby’s heart had stopped beating.
 
Moments before her dilatation and curettage procedure (D and C), Holt took a 'thumbs up' selfie and sent it to her fiance in the hospital waiting room to let him know she was OK - even though she wasn't.

"I’m still frightened about making such a private struggle public, but I’m doing it anyway because it's important,” Holt admits to her almost four million Instagram followers.
 
After her surgery, the actress spent hours online searching for other women who’d been through the devastation of pregnancy loss and could relate to what she was feeling.

The silence surrounding miscarriage is particularly deafening when you consider how widespread the experience is.

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According to SANDS, as many as one in four confirmed pregnancies end in miscarriage before 20 weeks.

In addition to this, there are many women who miscarry without having realised they were pregnant in the first place.
 
The idea that so many people have experienced the loss of a baby, but feel they have to keep the pain to themselves, is one Holt finds heartbreaking.

“So many people go through it and understand the breadth of pain, yet so few people talk about it.”
 
The actress also credited the love and support of her fiance Andrew Joblon with helping her “crawl out of the dark hole” and providing a safety net.

“To anyone out there who has been through a miscarriage, I understand you. I share every bit of your pain and you are not alone,” she adds. 

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Emboldened by her support and understanding, several of Holt’s fans have related their own experiences of pregnancy loss in the comments section.
 
One women, who lost her baby 14 years ago, admits she was reluctant to speak about her pain at the time because she was too worried about making other people feel uncomfortable.
 
“Suffering in silence is too frequent for something like this and I thank you for being brave and sharing your story,” she adds.