Entertainment

Nancy Kerrigan Was So Brave On 'DWTS'

Eric McCandless/ABC

When Dancing With The Stars does its “most memorable year” episode, some of the stories are happy, some are touching, and some are sad stories of determination. Nancy Kerrigan’s most memorable year story fell into the latter camp, when she described the multiple miscarriages that plagued her and her husband and the moment she felt the relief of having another child. Nancy Kerrigan’s Dancing With The Stars dance the most emotional yet, and she did women around the world a service by talking about it.

Nancy told partner Artem about her difficult fertility journey — after the birth of her first child, Nancy had six miscarriages in eight years. She said that she felt like a failure that she couldn’t get pregnant — all that she and her husband wanted was a mess of kids, and though they already had one, it was hard for them to wonder if it would ever happen again. Nancy eventually went through IVF and had two more healthy, happy children, bringing a lovely ending to this family’s sorrow. It’s so important and wonderful, though, that Nancy decided to talk about this. Women have miscarriages all the time, but it’s not something that’s widely discussed in the media and even in close social circles.

Many women struggle with pregnancy and infertility issues, so the more people that talk about it, the better. Nancy was brave to talk about her miscarriages and struggles on national television. She’s a woman with tenacity, and it’s obvious that she never gives up. She has overcome a lot in the public eye, and I'm grateful that she continues to share her struggles with the world.