Greg Wise and Emma Thompson on IVF Grief: 'We Hit an Existential Crisis'

Actor Greg Wise has opened up about the profound grief he and wife Emma Thompson experienced after failed IVF attempts to have a second child. In a candid account, Wise describes the couple sitting 'mute in our grief' in the doctor's office, mourning a potential child that never came to be. He calls it 'anticipatory grief'—a silent, lonely mourning with no societal rituals. Despite the birth of their daughter Gaia, subsequent cycles brought only disappointment, compounded by drugs, hormones, and injections. Wise reveals they never sought counseling, and Thompson felt she had failed and could not forgive herself. 'We hit an existential crisis—she was not a proper woman and I was not a proper man,' he recalls, highlighting how infertility can shake the core of identity. Their story sheds light on a rarely discussed pain, offering solace to others facing similar struggles. It's a reminder that even celebrated couples face private battles—and that speaking out can help break the silence.