Ben Fogle's touching love story with wife he met by chance before tragic loss
Adventurer and television presenter Ben Fogle returns to our television screens this evening in Ben Fogle and the Buried City as he heads to Montserrat, an island that was devastated by a volcano in the nineties.
The show, which airs at 9pm on Channel 5, will feature tales of heroism and heartbreak of those who lost their homes.
Undoubtedly his family is incredibly proud of his latest project, including his wife Marina.
The pair have been married for 17 years and have two children, Ludovic Herbert Richard, who was born in 2009 and Iona, born in 2011.
Marina, whose maiden name is Hunt, is the co-founder of The Bump Class, which offers mums-to-be a guide to pregnancy as well as antenatal classes. She runs the business alongside her sister Dr Chiara Hunt.
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The couple met while walking their dogs in Hyde Park (PA)
They tied the knot in 2006 (Getty Images)She and Ben first met via a chance encounter while walking their dogs in Hyde Park.
They later married in 2006 and went on to start a family, with Marina occasionally writing columns about their relationship.
As The Daily Mail previously reported, she has shared how she and Ben often bicker over the dishwasher, which he doesn't load very well.
The Austrian-born mum said: "There will be pans with plates on top, facing the wrong way. And he even drops knives in point-up, risking serious bodily harm to the poor person who unloads them.
"He seems to think of the dishwasher as a magical box that will miraculously deliver clean plates even if it's stacked any old how."
Their family has grown (PA Archive/PA Images)As well as enduring the regular highs and lows of marriage, Ben and Marina - who live in Henley-on-Thames - have also had to endure much harder times, experiencing a devastating heartbreak in 2014.
The couple were preparing to welcome their third son, Willem, but tragically he was stillborn.
This was due to an acute placental abruption that caused the baby to be starved of oxygen and almost ended Marina's life.
Ben has previously told The Sun how Marina was "minutes from dying" as she gave birth to Willem.
"I very nearly lost my wife. She very, very nearly died. For her to have come within 20 minutes of dying was a huge bolt for me and was so terrifying I can't even explain it," he said.
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"The thought of life without her was unbearable."
Understandably, that day is now an incredibly difficult memory for the family.
Back in 2021, Ben took to Instagram to reflect on it, admitting: "Every year I dread August 24th. The date looms like a mighty wave that threatens to hold me under with a suffocating pain.
"It is the date we lost our son, Willem. It changed us forever. But then the day arrives and it isn't so bad. We remember. We mourn. We reflect.
"And I am reminded to be grateful for what we HAVE, not just mourn what we have lost. I have a beautiful, kind, loving wife and two amazing children.
"The anniversary always signifies sadness but it reminds me that I must be grateful and happy for what I have, not just a sadness for what I have lost.
"It nearly broke us but we are stronger. Perspective is important in life. It teaches us the values of love and family and friendship. Don't waste a single day. Don't forget to tell those close to you how much you love them. Don't waste a single hug or kiss."
The couple has endured heartbreak (Getty Images Europe)Since then, the couple has been on an inspirational charitable journey, working with Child Bereavement UK's One More Minute campaign to help support other parents that have experienced similar circumstances.
As part of the campaign, Ben said: "I don't think we would be as strong, and in the position that we are now, without the support we had.
"What I've taken away from it is that you don’t want a single circumstance – however unbearable or tragic – to define you, or to define you and your family.
"Through our role as patrons of Child Bereavement UK we are passionate about helping spread the word so that many more families can access the invaluable, professional bereavement support the charity provides."
Marina has shared how she was open and honest with her children about the loss of their brother, and says the communication brought them closer together.
She's also previously spoken about her approach to parenting, sharing in the Mail on Sunday that she had stopped praising their children for their looks and instead praising their personalities.
"Iona has become a beautiful person. Her hair has changed from black to blonde and her eyes are now a dazzling shade of blue," she wrote.
"When she marches purposefully into a room, she lights it up. But is she pretty? I ask myself. The truth is that I don't really care. I'll praise her for what she's achieved – her generosity, how good a friend she is, her tenacity – rather than what nature has determined."
And the kids now seem to be following in their father's footsteps if a trip to the Inner Hebrides in 2021 is anything to go by.
At the time, Ben posted about the trip on social media, saying: "I am bursting with pride as Ludo and Iona head off on their first big island adventure together to the Inner Hebrides.
"When I was eight years old, I went on a trip to the island of Eigg (a visit that would change my life) and now these two are off with their adventure club and some friends on their own island expedition.
"I was quite teary as I waved my young explorers off."
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