Louise Thompson

08/06/2026

Just a reminder that your life saving medical device is NOT nasty and does not need to be hidden away or fill you with shame !!!

Look, I know that bad characters do and say horrendous things in tv scripts ALL THE TIME, I won’t even list them here because then no one will see this, but given that stoma bags feature SO infrequenly in this space it feels quite jarring and a little upsetting to watch and I wonder if it’s a tad irresponsible?!?! It would be ok if there was light with the shade; or nods to bravery, but continued online shade around ileostomy bags is a bit depressing. I also really doubt someone would be walking around with staples in their stomach like that (high risk of infection) before having them removed in hospital.

I’ll admit I’m personally very well adjusted so this is less about me, but I’m really creating this post on behalf of younger Louise and my younger audience who look up to me… also for those that have been told that having a stoma fitted in the future is a very real possibility. It’s fear mongering and i know how vulnerable I was when I was a teenager. If I’d had this surgery back then things might have been harder for me… because teenagers tend to be much less exposed and adjusted to bodily differences and I wonder what opinions they might have after watching this series of euphoria?

Imagine you’re 18 years old again, you’ve just had a stoma surgery, you google it to find out a bit more and THIS is what shows up. It’s not gonna make you feel good at all. Hmmmm.

Obviously I’m biased and sensitive to the intricacies of stoma life but what do you think? If I was naive and had never seen one before i think I’d be fairly influenced. I know it’s JUST a show and those who haven’t had a medical condition might perceive this as sensitive but I’m willing to take the backlash in favour of reaching a few who need this !

You do NOT need to hide your body away or feel shame.

Also I know I use the word horrendous 3 times in this video with reference to a body but I think I was feeling so strongly about how horrendous the sentiment was in this clip.

X

ulcerativecolitis

07/06/2026

Leo is four. He has more emotional intelligence than most adults I've met. Kids are completely feral and somehow the wisest people alive. Make it make sense.

06/06/2026

The most searched question on TikTok is apparently 'what happened to Louise Thompson.' Well, I wrote 300 pages about it and somehow had the audacity to call it Lucky.

Lucky: Learning to live again

06/06/2026

It’s been two years since we launched 🚀📕 Lucky (yikes)

… so it felt like an appropriate time to pop back to the Penguin HQ in Battersea to say hi to my wonderful publisher Charlotte. I love being around women who make great things happen and that is Charlotte to a T.

I felt a tad emotional walking back into the building to be honest. I have fond memories of all the meetings: beginning, middle and end … the canteen, the manuscripts, the audiobook and the little party we had when the book won the no.1 Sunday times best seller accolade. Some moments felt enormous at the time - like when I gave a totally impromptu speech to the whole floor - and then, much like other things in life, it all sort of breezes past in a flash. Hence my desire to get back into it. It’s slightly addictive.

Anyway I used this (kinda coincidental) anniversary as an opportunity for reflection. A moment to go through everything.

The reviews, the stats, where we want to take things next (exciting). But mostly i just let myself look back, which, if you know me, does not come v naturally. I’m much more comfortable sprinting towards the next thing than pausing to acknowledge the last one. It’s a bit cowedly really.

So here are some things I didn’t let myself properly celebrate at the time:

Lucky hit number one on the Sunday Times bestseller list the week it came out.

It charted for many weeks after that.

The audiobook went on to win several Audible awards.

It has over 3,500 ratings on Goodreads.

Over 250 of you wrote wrriten reviews on Amazon. Those are from people may never meet, but who somehow the entire reason I wrote it.

Maybe my most flattering one to date:

‘I’m a big reader, maybe four or five books a week most of my life. I’ve only ever reviewed two. I can’t get Louise’s story out of my mind.’

Someone who reads five books a week and I made it into the two review club. Genuinely not sure anything will top that.

The others 👇🏼 continues in comment

*if you’re struggling to read the font size you can pinch in on the screen*

06/06/2026

I've used this incredibly cliché Kris Jenner quote four times this week, and I'll say it a fifth:

'If somebody says no, you're talking to the wrong person.'

Turns out it applies to everything from fertility clinics to government bodies to my relationship with Ryan.

03/06/2026

TW: birth trauma, baby loss

I felt compelled to pull this information together after watching the Panorama documentary on Monday. I sat through the show questioning HOW some of these issues could still be impacting women in 2026? Some of the behaviour described is totally abhorrent.

I’ll admit I’m always shocked by what I continue to learn about the maternity care in this country. It’s day in day out. WHEN are Apple TV / Netflix / Amazon or Sky going to come along and make a documentary about this story. Surely it matches the scale (if not supersedes) the critically acclaimed mr bates vs the post office. That was called the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British history. I don’t believe that to be true. I believe this is.

The theme of this specific post hasn’t touched me personally, but that almost makes it more important to share. I can write about it from a place of clarity rather than grief.

Mothers who have lost a baby are at their absolute rock bottom. They should never have to also be doing research, cross-checking certificates, or understanding their legal rights in the worst moments of their lives. That knowledge needs to exist before anyone ever needs it.

This carousel won’t be for everyone and it’s a big steer away from the lifestyle content I usually post. But if healthcare professionals, hospitals and the government aren’t going to hand this information to people, then I want to.

Check the slides.

03/06/2026

New episode out now.

We saw a pregnancy announcement this week and both got emotional. Turns out there was a conversation we'd been avoiding.

Link to listen 👇
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1E67MAMXX3HgKiVLA7fuem

He Said, She Said · Episode

03/06/2026

Sorry it’s a long one and there is a lot of neck touching, it was quite hard to get all my thoughts out in one go with no prep and my nervous system feels heavily dysregulated at the moment but I’m working on it, and I couldn’t not share this becuase it might help someone or unlock something/an important conversation. There is quite a lot to digest so if it’s easier for those who prefer reading or in a rush to get to work this morning let me summarise my points below… 
 
1. I happened upon a panorama doc on bbc which is very unusual and feels like one of those weird synchronicities because i’m very rarely in bed watching tv at that time aimlessly scrolling w/ the remote, but somehow that feels really signficiant. I’m becoming increasingly spiritual. A lot of all of this progress has happened at times that feel totally ‘in time and on time’.
 
2. Donna Ockenden’s investigation into the maternity failings at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust is officially the LARGEST of its kind in NHS history. The report will be published on the 24th June. 
 
3. Ryan and I were immensely triggered. Ryan rarely sits through stuff like this but was strangely drawn to it even though most of his trauma is totally unprocessed. He was sick all night and blamed it on food poisoning, but i’m not entirely convinced. This never happens. 
 
4. Shows like this are really important for families likes us (when they’re out of the depths of ptsd symptoms because it can be V triggering so please turn off) when they are ready it encourages more conversations and more healing. 
 
5. These incidents are not isolated to Nottingham. Nottingham are noisy. 👏🏼👏🏼 They have found their community. Other people have experienced the same thing and have been told that this sort of behaviour and treatment and baby loss is ‘normal’ so they should get on with it. You are not alone, this is not normal.
 
6. If you’ve listened to our latest episode of HSSS that came out this morning you’ll learn that i’ve had a rough week. I’ve turned a new corner in my recovery, but the exercise i’ve started doing again has put me back AGAIN and i’

02/06/2026

Which one should I wear to a June wedding 1-7?

One of my best friends is getting married in Catalonia this month and it’s been a while… so I want to look good. All my friends always go 100000% for this sort of big deal so I need to step it up becuase I seem to bounce from red carpet to shell suit and am surprisingly not thaaat good at the in between.

However, I do have a few tricks up my sleeve since bringing out my own petite collection with Nobody’s Child - and I know all those pieces are going to fit like a glove and ultimately fit = comfort = everything.

There are a few curve balls in here too, and some silly moments. I promise I’m not getting 🍑 job and also the last dress is SENSATIONAL in real life despite looking a bit creased and bizarre in this video. Maybe doesn’t photograph quite as well..: all useful to rector in!

Any questions pop below?