Ray Quinn and wife Emily share how they told children about stillborn son Rio

Ray Quinn and his wife Emily have shared the details of how they informed their children about the stillbirth of their son, Rio, who was born in August. The couple spoke about their experience on their podcast, "The Quinns," explaining their belief in telling children the truth about difficult events.

"I'm a big believer in just tell your children the truth," Emily said on the podcast. "Children are so intelligent and they can feel things. If you don't tell them the truth and what is actually happening, I feel like it is more harm than good. So we told them."

The couple explained they showed their children pictures of Rio, telling them, "This is your little brother, but he's not going to come home with us. He's up in the sky. So whenever we look in the clouds and we see the sunshine, he's going to be there. Whenever the stars shine, the brightest star at night, that's Rio."

They received guidance from the Honeysuckle Bereavement Service in Liverpool, which provided books to help their children understand the loss. Ray and Emily also gave each of their older children a small wool love heart, placing one with Rio and giving the others to the children to foster a sense of connection.

Emily noted that their daughter Summer's open approach to Rio's memory has been beneficial for their own grief. "Summer took the approach of 'I love my baby Rio and when we go to sleep at night, she says 'mommy he is going to be around us' and she talks about him,'" Emily shared. Summer has also pointed out babies in public, saying "Like baby Rio," which the couple found helped them.

Ray echoed his wife's sentiments, stating, "Summer says what we're thinking."

The couple discovered Rio had no heartbeat at a six-month scan. They learned that his umbilical cord was tied in a tight knot, and there was nothing that could have been done to prevent it. Emily had previously experienced a miscarriage last year.

"Our whole world just stopped in that moment," Emily recounted, becoming emotional. Ray described the event as "life changing, you know absolutely life-changing, devastating really. As soon as she said that, yeah, your world does come to a stop and you don't worry about all the other things that you've been worried about. It's like life hits you right in the face and that changed everything."

Quinn, a former contestant on "The X Factor," and his wife are part of a blended family. They have daughter Summer Reign, four, and Ray has a son, Harry, 14, with his ex-wife Emma Stephens. Emily has a son, Lucian, 13, from a previous relationship.

Emily highlighted the increasing support available for couples experiencing stillbirth, contrasting it with the past when such topics were often unspoken. "People didn't quite know how to approach it. Everything was sort of hush, like don't speak about that. But now we're encouraged to speak about it. And why wouldn't we celebrate our baby's life because he was here just as if any other child being born is here. So speak about it and tell people and that's the way that you'll heal."

The couple dedicated an episode of their YouTube channel to the tragedy to raise awareness and support others facing similar circumstances.

Ray posted on Instagram, "Our beautiful boy, born Sleeping.. 20th August 2026. No words will ever be enough, just a lot of indescribable feelings. Heaven gained the most beautiful little Angel and we were overjoyed when Rio was born and we found out we had a little boy!! The last few weeks have been a lot but our saving grace has been each other."

They also expressed gratitude to the hospital staff at Liverpool Women's Hospital and the HoneySuckle team for their support during the difficult time.

For those affected by similar issues, Child Bereavement UK can be contacted at 0800 028 8840 or via email at [email protected].