WILL QUINCE has tonight praised Coronation Street for raising the issue of miscarriages.

The Colchester MP paid tribute to actress Kym Marsh, a mum of four, who plays the role of Michelle Connor in the tv soap.

Last night, her character lost a baby in a miscarriage, something which happened to Kym in real life, during 2009.

Mr Quince tweeted: “I know how hard it is to re-live the worst experience of your life. @msm4rsh you are incredibly brave and I applaud you.”

The father-of-two also re-tweeted messages from the Sands charity which helps people who have suffered the loss of a baby.

The Conservative MP and his wife Elinor also suffered the loss of their own son, who was stillborn in October 2014.

In a debate in 2015 calling for better facilities in hospitals for parents who lose a child, Mr Quince commented: “Nothing can prepare you for the hock and numbness that comes from seeing your wife give birth to a lifeless baby.”

Each year about 3,500 babies in the UK are stillborn, defined as being born with no signs of life after 24 completed weeks of pregnancy - one in every 200 babies.

Another 2,000 babies die within the first four weeks of their lives, during the neonatal period.

The government has set a target to reduce still birth and infant deaths by 20 per cent by 2020.

Sands has a helpline on 020 7436 5881.