Sky Sports presenter James Green admitted he is navigating how to cope with becoming a new father while his wife battles with breast cancer.
The sports journalist was overjoyed when he and his wife Nicola Achilleas welcomed their daughter, Alyssia Hope, just seven weeks ago.
The 40-year-old said her arrival was a ‘dream come true’ after four years ‘full of heartache’ during which the couple experienced three miscarriages.
‘She’s the most amazing little girl in the world, but I will never forget the three angels we lost. That grief never leaves you,’ he told the Mirror.
Alyssia’s birth also came four months after Nicola was delivered the devastating news that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The actress and model revealed her heartache on Instagram in November, saying it felt like ‘they were living in a nightmare that we cannot wake up from’.
The couple are now nativagating the world of parenthood, with James admitting he is ‘trying to cope’ with his partner’s cancer and becoming a father at the same time.
He praised the support from his friends and family for keeping him strong in such a turbulent time while dealing with his new duties and huge lack of sleep.
Sky Sports presenter James Green admitted he is navigating how to cope with becoming a new father while his wife battles with breast cancer. The couple are pictured together in 2022
James is pictured with his daughter Alyssia Hope, who was born just seven weeks ago
James is well known for his work as a sports reporter for Sky Sports News. He is pictured reporting on for the broadcaster last year
James told The Mirror: ‘One night, I had just 45 minutes of sleep. I was a zombie. But you know what? I still looked at her and went, “You’re so precious, I don’t care”.’
He added that receiving messages of support at this time has helped with his own grieving process.
James and Nicola suffered their first miscarriage in 2021, after which he said ‘I’ve never been the same since’.
They suffered a second miscarriage a year later and then again in 2023, which was followed by ‘constant specialist appointments to try and understand why’.
Last year, James decided to run the Brighton Marathon to raise money for the Saying Goodbye charity, which he is an ambassador for.
The charity provides useful information, advice and support for anyone who has suffered the loss of a baby at any stage of pregnancy, at birth or in infancy.
He told the Sports Gazette ahead of the race that speaking about the subject of miscarriage is ‘a really emotional subject’.
‘There can be days where I’m absolutely fine, and then there can be days where I wake up and I feel completely c***,’ he said.
Nicola (pictured with Alyssia) revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer in November
Alyssia is pictured at just one week old. James said her arrival was a ‘dream come true’
‘I think, in this country, when somebody’s vulnerable and shows emotion, the audience are pretty damn good at picking you up and supporting you.’
James previously admitted he had ‘turned to drink many years ago’ and would often get in from work, ‘open a bottle of wine and before I knew it, I would look next to my bed and there’d be 30, 40 empty bottles’.
But he now looks to his wife for support as well as a counsellor, who is helping them ‘navigate through everything’.
James is keen to continue raising awareness to help families suffering from the pain of losing a child and is committed to providing support for both men and women.
He has previously said that current policies on the issue ‘are very outdated’ and insisted the support for families ‘needs to get better’.
