Florence Welch, the renowned frontwoman of Florence + the Machine, has openly shared a deeply personal and life-altering experience from 2023 that brought her perilously close to death. In a recent profile published by The Guardian, Welch disclosed that she suffered an ectopic pregnancy two summers ago, an event that profoundly impacted her life and art.

Welch recounted that she became pregnant almost immediately after she and her boyfriend decided to try for a baby. However, the pregnancy was ectopic, meaning the fertilized egg implanted outside the uterus, specifically in a fallopian tube. This condition ultimately led to the rupture of one of her fallopian tubes, a life-threatening complication. Reflecting on the harrowing experience, Welch stated, “The closest I came to making life was the closest I came to death.” She described a vivid, almost spiritual sensation of stepping “through this door, and it was just full of women, screaming,” highlighting the intense emotional and physical pain.

The miscarriage occurred shortly before Welch was scheduled to perform at a festival in Cornwall. Despite being in severe pain and experiencing heavy bleeding, she remarkably went ahead with the performance. “I took some ibuprofen and stepped out on stage,” she recalled. It was only after the performance that she sought medical attention. Initially hesitant to go for a scan, believing she could cope, Welch credits her doctor’s insistence with saving her life. During the appointment, the rupture was discovered, and she was immediately rushed into emergency surgery.

Welch later learned that she had accumulated “a Coke can’s worth of blood in my abdomen,” and tragically, doctors were unable to save her fallopian tube. According to the Mayo Clinic, an ectopic pregnancy cannot proceed normally as the fertilized egg cannot survive outside the uterus and can lead to fatal bleeding if left untreated.

This transformative experience has become a central theme for her upcoming album, titled Everybody Scream, which is slated for release this Halloween. This project follows her 2022 album, Dance Fever, where she previously explored her frustrations regarding the perceived conflict between pursuing motherhood and a demanding career. In addition to her album news, Welch also discussed her collaboration with Taylor Swift on the track “Florida!!!” from Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, which debuted last year. Of performing the song with Swift on the Eras Tour, Welch described it as “amazing,” adding, “I will say that, yes, I’m someone who wants to hide from the vague humiliations of fame. But I did step out on that stadium stage with her and I was like, ‘This is pretty f—ing cool. After this, I’m gonna have to make some changes.'”