Hayley Holt shares story of grief, courage and finding hope again

Hayley Holt's name is a familiar one — she's made her mark as a champion ballroom dancer, a professional snowboarder, and a one-time Green Party candidate. An 'A' student, she's been a high achiever all her life.

Now a broadcaster, Hayley's shared her alcoholism and ADHD diagnosis, but her toughest story is the loss of her first child Frankie in late pregnancy.

Frankie was her "miracle baby", conceived at age 39, while she was single but desperate to fulfil her dream of becoming a mum. Her friend Josh offered to help her out and while not a couple, the pair agreed to co-parent their little boy.

And both looked forward excitedly to his birth until a scan at 20 weeks first hinted he might have some health issues.

"The lady doing the scan sort of went a bit quiet. And I'm like, 'oh what's happening?'

"And she was just umm-ing and aah-ing and she goes, 'this measurement here was possibly just right on the edge of being a little bit too large'.

"And just at that moment my heart went gadonk, and I thought, oh my god, I felt like I knew this was coming," Hayley said.

"I don't think I've ever cried so hard, and my mum and dad had never cried so hard."

More tests were inconclusive and the pair — whose friendship had developed into love — did their best to remain optimistic.

But 29 weeks into the pregnancy, the couple were told Frankie's health problems were life threatening. While they were digesting that news, just two days later, Frankie died unexpectedly in the womb.

"I was devastated," Hayley said. "This boy that I was willing to live, and willing to get better, and willing to be healthy, had died."

Now Hayley is enjoying her life as mother to Raven, who was born in July last year, and reflecting on the journey she has been through to get here. Her book Second Chances is published in April.

Watch the full story with Sunday's Miriama Kamo above.