My newborn baby came out pure white and totally silent – I was sure she was dying in my wife’s arms

STEPH’s Packed Lunch regular Luke Kempner recalled the terrifying tale of how he thought he was watching his newborn ‘die’.

The Channel 4 show regular has been absent from the show later after Luke Kempner wife Alana gave birth to their baby daughter.

Alana and Steph welcomed their newborn earlier this month following a gruelling birthing experience after their daughter came out ‘white and completely silent’.

Speaking to Steph McGovern on her show with guests Sara Davies, Sayeeda Warsi and Denise Van Outen, Luke opened up on what happened.

The star candidly admitted he had fears he was ‘watching his daughter die’.

Dubbing the ordeal ‘traumatic’, Luke said: “The baby’s in the other side of the room, you know, there’s beeping going on, there’s sort of – she’s being resuscitated.

“The baby’s just white.”

In disbelief and horror Strictly Come Dancing’s Sara closed her eyes slowly and shook her head as the comedian continued the story.

Luke continued: “And my wife who’s just sort of out of it and in shock having just given birth and done incredible and is looking at me going, ‘Is the baby okay? Is she okay?’ But in a sort of [in a happy voice], ‘Is she okay?’

“And I was just sort of like looking at this thing and going, ‘I’m seeing my daughter die right at this very moment’, and my wife’s looking at me for support.”

He said he got through the ordeal by reminding himself they were in the best possible place, in the hospital surrounded by the experts.

Luke said: “My head was just going, ‘Surely these things happen and you’ve got the best people on it’.”

The star said he texted Steph in the moment to ask what he should do to comfort his wife and stay calm.

“I think I messaged you (Steph) saying, ‘What is the best thing I can do here?’” he said. “Which is just remain calm and let the people do what they’re doing. 

“I just turned to my wife and said, ‘Yeah, she’s fine, it’s okay’, and within five minutes she’d sort of pinkened up, and within seven minutes she started letting out a cry.”

Luke recalled how within 11 minutes he could go over and see his baby girl.

The funnyman, of course, ended the story on a light note as his daughter is now fine.

“And within 11 minutes I could go over and see her and I just sort of said to her [in emotional voice], ‘Can I touch her?’ And they went, ‘Yeah, she’s yours’,” he said.