Australian influencer Hannah Orval and her partner, American football player Patrick Murtagh, have announced the stillbirth of their son, Meelo Michael Murtagh. The couple shared the news on social media on Saturday, accompanied by monochrome photographs of them holding their baby.
"Meelo Michael Murtagh, born into this big world early and sleeping. He will forever be the biggest missing piece of the rest of our story," Orval wrote on social media. "To be a family for even just a day was irreplaceable. Childbirth, I would do it over again every day in every lifetime to meet him. We are absolutely devastated, but [he is] forever our biggest achievement in life."
Orval, 27, is the founder of a swimwear brand and the daughter of former AFL player and social media personality Mark Orval, known as Angry Dad. Her mother, Sharon Orval, who is the chief executive of a health supplement company, also posted a message of support, expressing pride in the couple's strength and Patrick Murtagh's care for Hannah.
Messages of support were shared by hundreds of friends, including AFL stars Nick Daicos, Oleg Markov, and Sam Draper, as well as influencers Mia Fevola, Annalise Dalins, and Casey Battle.
Orval and Murtagh, 26, publicly confirmed their relationship in 2024, reportedly having been together since late 2023. Murtagh, originally from Queensland, moved to the U.S. in 2024 as part of the NFL's International Pathway Program. Before transitioning to American football, he played three seasons of AFL for the Gold Coast Suns.
