Livermore: They said our son was stillborn, but we heard him cry

FOOTIE star Jake Livermore is suing a private hospital used by the Royal Family over the death of his baby boy.

The ex-England midfielder’s son Jake Jr died within half an hour of being born after a catalogue of errors during his delivery.

Livermore, 25, and his girlfriend Danielle Del-Giudice, 30, have accused the hospital of trying to avoid a full inquest into their son’s death.

Portland Hospital in central London is the same private maternity hospital where both Prince George and Princess Charlotte were born.

The couple claim staff insisted Jake Jr was not born alive on May 19 last year.

But Hull City star Livermore said: “I heard him cry faintly and said to Danielle, ‘everything’s going to be ok’.”


The former England U-21 star claims doctors told him the sound he heard was “an involuntary spinal gasp”.

A coroner at Westminster coroner’s court later ruled Jake Jr had been born alive “in very poor condition” and was pronounced dead half an hour later.

The inquest earlier this year heard how the baby died following a “catalogue of errors” and a report carried out by the hospital made several recommendations of how to improve care.

Now the grieving couple have revealed they are taking legal action against the top hospital following the tot’s tragic death.

The couple say staff at the private hospital ignored their pleas for Danielle to be given a Caesarean section early in her labour.

They also claim a medic failed to check their son for 35 minutes despite concerns about his heart rate.

Danielle was finally given an emergency C-section but their son suffered a lack of oxygen and a brain haemorrhage and was pronounced dead half an hour after his birth.

Anguish...Livermore with Tigers boss Steve Bruce PA

Tragic...baby Jake Ross Parry

Following the tragedy Livermore tested positive for cocaine but escaped a ban after the FA ruled the death was an overwhelming mitigating factor.

The couple are now looking into setting up a charity to raise awareness and help others who sadly find themselves in a similar situation.

Danielle said: “Words cannot explain what we have been through in losing a perfectly healthy child because of mistakes made by medical staff during the birth.

“Knowing that people who I trusted to care for me and my baby and to ensure that we were safe throughout my labour, did not pick up the warning signs that Jake Jr was in distress is hard for me to accept.

“Even though an investigation has taken place at the Portland Hospital into Jake Jr’s death and the care that was provided to us last year, I still feel that not enough has been done to ensure that another family does not go through the horrific ordeal my family has.

“We have not even received any sort of apology from the consultant who is still practising and it raises questions with us as to whether lessons are truly being learned.

”The hospital, where couples pay up to £20,000 for maternity services, has expressed its “deepest sympathy”.