England Star Kearns Opens Up About Miscarriage and Sepsis Battle

England international footballer details harrowing hospital ordeal following pregnancy loss

Missy Bo Kearns, the Aston Villa midfielder and England international, has revealed she endured a traumatic four-day hospital stay after experiencing a miscarriage and subsequently developing sepsis. Speaking candidly to ITV News, the player shared details of the March incident that fundamentally altered her life.

The Initial Warning Signs

Kearns and her partner Liam Walsh, a Luton footballer, had announced their pregnancy on March 1st. However, the situation took a dramatic turn later that month. On March 18th, whilst at Aston Villa's Bodymoor Heath training facility, Kearns began experiencing concerning symptoms.

"It was one of the biggest shocks of my life," Kearns reflected. She initially attributed her discomfort to pregnancy-related complaints. When she consulted with Jodie Blackadder-Weinstein, the club's sports physician, a temperature check revealed an alarming reading of 42 degrees, coupled with severe shivering.

A Life-Changing Discovery

Following admission to hospital in Birmingham, medical professionals delivered devastating news simultaneously: the pregnancy had been lost, and Kearns had contracted sepsis. The speed of the deterioration shocked the athlete, particularly given that she had participated in pilates and gym work merely an hour beforehand.

"We had to go through like, three, four days of hell in hospital, the two of us, up in Birmingham and, I don't think we realized how much we went through until now," she explained.

A Life-Saving Intervention

Kearns credits Dr. Blackadder-Weinstein with potentially saving her life. Initially reluctant to seek hospital treatment, she acknowledged that the doctor's insistence proved crucial. Had she remained at home, she likely would have dismissed the symptoms as minor flu-like illness.

"They probably saved my life because I had sepsis, and while having that, I wasn't even thinking about the sepsis. It was: I've lost my child," Kearns stated. Sepsis, an emergency immune system response to infection that can prove life-threatening and is notoriously difficult to identify, posed a serious danger that went unrecognized by the athlete herself.

The Road to Recovery

Although Kearns has begun visiting Villa's training facility to reconnect with teammates and commence fitness rehabilitation, she remains in the early stages of her emotional recovery. She does not anticipate returning to competitive play until the following season.

"I wouldn't say I'm fully coping," she revealed. "There's days like today where I feel good, I've been in and around the [Aston Villa] girls and stuff, I've done my bike, I've done my testing, like, ready to get back on to it. But yesterday, I was upset all day because I got some news about the things we have to sort and it just comes and goes in waves."

The three-cap England international emphasized the importance of seeking support and avoiding solitude during grief, recommending Tommy's, the UK's foremost pregnancy and baby loss charity, as a valuable resource.

World Cup Ambitions Remain Intact

Despite her ordeal, Kearns has not abandoned her sporting aspirations. The midfielder, who transferred to Villa from Liverpool in 2024 following her senior England debut in June against Spain, continues to target selection for the Lionesses at next year's World Cup in Brazil.

"Football is my happy place, and I'm here now, and I'm excited to be here and keep trying to build and build and get myself right ready for next season," she said. "It's a big year next year, and my plan while I was pregnant was to make the World Cup squad, and that's not changed, so the next few months is getting myself physically, mentally strong, ready for a big season, and to try and make the World Cup squad."

Kearns concluded with a reflective observation about her perspective shift: "I've realised, like there's more to life than football, but now I'm going to enjoy every minute of football like it's my last because it could have been."