Louise Thompson Conquers Gym Fears with Workout Routine

hit the gym on Sunday as she shared a glimpse into her workout routine on Instagram after she admitted she is scared to exercise following numerous surgeries and trauma. 

The former  star, 36, who nearly died during child birth, was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in 2018 and in April 2024, was fitted with a stoma after falling ill during a trip to Antigua ahead of having her colon removed.

After years of health woes, Louise revealed she is ready to get back into working out as she shared a new video doing squats and dumbbell rows in her gym at her Chelsea home.

Louise penned: 'Attempting to get back into fitness for the gazillionth time just so I can keep up with this crazy sporty household of mine…

'Today I legit busted Leo on a lat pulldown machine in our basement'.

Louise also admitted she feels like she hasn't been fit since her 20s as she opened up to husband Ryan Libbey on their He Said, She Said podcast. 

Discussing exercising, she said: 'It does feel really good. I felt incredible doing the exercise, but I have felt really, it's actually been really, really hard to deal with. 

'I feel so wonky in my head, and I don't feel myself, and I'm looking for answers, and that's the problem, and that's where the intrusive thoughts come in.  

'In my mind, I think, why can't I get back to how I was before? I've lost five years, like the last time I was really fit, I was in my 20s. 

'So many changes occur when you're in your bloody 30s, especially as a woman, and I loathe to admit it.'

It comes after Louise broke down in tears in unseen footage from hospital while battling the 'trauma' of incurable inflammatory bowel disease.

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic bowel condition where the colon and rectum become inflamed and small ulcers develop on the colon's lining, which can bleed.

A stoma is a surgically-created opening made on the abdomen, which is made to divert the flow of body waste into a medical device, which the person can then empty. Louise has named her bag 'Winnie' in a nod to Winnie The Pooh.

Earlier this year, she marked World IBD Day with a new Instagram post as she discussed how tough it has been to manage the illness.

Alongside she shared clips and pictures of herself in hospital and breaking down while struggling to cope with the pain. 

She penned: 'The night before I lost an organ, I was still posting photos of my outfit. That's the strange thing about Ulcerative Colitis. You can look completely fine while your body is quietly falling apart.

'I've lived with an IBD (Inflammatory bowel disease) for nine years now. Nine years of an incurable disease people still barely talk about unless it happens to someone they love.

'For me, it started as stomach pain. I thought it was food poisoning. Then blood. Then exhaustion. Then a colonoscopy that diagnosed me with UC. An incurable disease where your immune system attacks your own body.

'Fast forward a few years, and I found myself in a hotel bathroom in Antigua, losing an egg cup full of blood every twenty minutes while my two-year-old son sat outside the door. And still, I told myself it was 'just a flare'.