Florence Welch reveals near-death experience from ectopic pregnancy, emergency surgery in 2023

Florence Welch says she narrowly survived an ectopic pregnancy that required emergency surgery in 2023, a revelation she shared in a Guardian interview this week. The singer recalled the moment she realized she was in grave danger, saying, “The closest I came to making life was the closest I came to death.” She described the experience as a terrifying doorway, noting it felt like a room “full of women, screaming.”

Welch, who is now 39, said she learned she was pregnant at 37 with a partner she described as on again, off again, and that the pregnancy collided with a demanding performance schedule. In 2023 she was slated to headline the Cornwall Music Festival. On the day of her appearance she began to feel sick, pale and bleeding heavily, prompting doctors to instruct her to be checked after her set. After returning to London, her physician diagnosed a ruptured fallopian tube. Welch recalled later that she had a Coke can’s worth of blood in her abdomen and required immediate surgical intervention to remove the tube.

The emergency procedure occurred around the same time as other festival bookings, and Welch said she might have traveled if she had not needed life-saving care. “If I’d got on that plane, I’d have come off on a stretcher. Or worse,” she said of the decision to cancel or delay travel and performances. In August 2023 she canceled several UK tour dates, later explaining that the emergency surgery was the reason she pulled back from performances—but she did not go into details about the medical circumstances at the time. She added that the life-saving intervention would allow her to return to finish the Dance Fever tour, with concerts in Lisbon and Malaga still on the schedule, albeit with less energetic stage movement planned. “And I will be back to close out the Dance Fever tour in Lisbon and Malaga (maybe not jumping so much but you can do that for me),” Welch wrote in a social post accompanying her illness update.

The revelation also touched on Welch’s broader perspective on pregnancy loss. She described a previous miscarriage and said she had believed it to be a normal part of pregnancy, only to later learn that miscarriages can be devastating and not necessarily dangerous—an insight she attributed to conversations with her doctors. In hindsight, she said the episode and the subsequent health scare forced a reevaluation of what she could manage on tour and how she would navigate motherhood and career going forward.

The Guardian interview arrives years after Welch publicly addressed canceled UK dates in August 2023, when fans assumed the disruptions were due to a foot injury. She clarified at the time that the cancellations were linked to the emergency surgery, indicating that she did not yet feel comfortable discussing all the details publicly but emphasized that the event “saved [her] life.” The singer also connected the experience to her broader artistic response to trauma, noting that creativity has been a coping mechanism and that myth and storytelling help make sense of difficult moments.

Ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg implants and grows outside the uterus, most commonly in a fallopian tube, according to medical guidance. Symptoms can include sudden or sharp abdominal or pelvic pain, vaginal bleeding, dizziness or fainting. Medical groups emphasize the condition can be life-threatening if not treated promptly. Welch’s experience underscores the seriousness of ectopic pregnancies and the importance of timely medical evaluation when pregnancy is suspected to be outside the uterus.

The latest interview highlights a sustained public conversation about pregnancy health and women’s health experiences, including the emotional and physical toll of emergency medical procedures. Welch’s disclosures come as she continues to perform and promote new music while navigating personal health challenges. She has not commented on any future health updates beyond the statements she shared in the Guardian interview and related posts.