MS Mandy Allwood has lost three of the eight babies she was bearing and the future for the remaining five was "bleak", her doctor announced in London last night.
The 32 year old, who is between 19 and 20 weeks pregnant, suffered her first miscarriage at home in Wandsworth, west London, at 5.30 p.m. She was taken to King's College Hospital, where she is being treated for the multiple birth, but lost another child at 9.30 p.m. The third died an hour later.
The first two foetuses were male but the sex of the third is not yet known.
The hospital said she was in a "satisfactory" condition. "Sadly she has lost three babies and the situation for the others is bleak," Mr Donald Gibb, consultant obstetrician, said in a statement.
Her publicist, Mr Max Clifford, said that "everything is being done to take care of her and she is feeling as well as can be expected in the circumstances." The next few hours would be crucial. Ms Allwood was being comforted by the children's father, Mr Paul Hudson according to Mr Clifford.
He said that Ms Allwood had been suffering contractions and feeling unwell before last night's events. "Everything has been arranged and prepared for such an emergency and now we will just have to wait and hope that everything is all right," he said.
Ms Allwood was known to be suffering the increasing strain in recent weeks as she remained in the glare of the media spotlight and was forced to contend with the pregnancy as well.
Her relationship with the children's father also came under pressure after revelations about his private life but the couple were back together last night.
Doctors knew she suffered from a history of high blood pressure during pregnancy after the birth of her first child five years ago. And Professor Kypros Nicolaides, head of foetal medicine at the hospital, made her aware of the dangers she faced going through with the multiple birth.
He said recently that the pregnancy would only be viable after 24 weeks when a Caesarean section would be performed. But because of the restricted conditions, each foetus would be the equivalent of a normal baby of 16 weeks and each would stand just a one in three chance of survival.
Earlier this month Ms Allwood also lost custody of her son, Charlie, to her ex-husband, Mr Simon Pugh, after a bitter court battle.
Friends said they feared she would suffer a miscarriage and Prof Nicolaides who began her treatment, ordered a news blackout in August to prevent any further pressure on the pregnant woman.
Ms Allwood became pregnant after undertaking fertility treatment in the spring. She was prescribed a seven day course of the hormone Metrodin and a booster drug, Pregnyl, at a private clinic but the course was stopped after two days.
She was warned not to have unprotected sex during this time for fear of multiple pregnancy but discovered she had conceived to her partner, Mr Hudson, on taking a pregnancy test in May.
In July she underwent a series of tests at a clinic revealing she was bearing two sets of quads.
The couple, under the guidance of Mr Clifford, struck a series of media and sponsorship deals, and Ms Allwood has been staying at an address in south London close to King's College Hospital since the summer.