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Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden has told the new Sun on Sunday how her heart stopped for 40 seconds after the birth of daughter Hollie.
Speaking of her hell for the first time in a world exclusive interview, Amanda said: "I was moments from death."
Amanda, 41, was in intensive care for three days after suffering a massive haemorrhage following the birth of her longed-for daughter Hollie at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea hospital.
She was too ill to see her baby for three days but says any worries doctors had about her bonding with Hollie proved unfounded. "I fell in love with her immediately."
Doctors had swiftly placed her under general anaesthetic as they battled to stem the bleeding. But despite their efforts the situation worsened within hours.
Terrified husband Chris Hughes was ordered from the room as the life-or-death treatment continued and was left pacing the corridors, praying his wife would stabilise.
Amanda said: "As much blood as they were putting into me was going out. It just would not clot.
I lost about 13 to 15 litres of it all in all. For seven minutes Chris didn't know if I was alive or dead.
"They literally ran out of my blood group in London. They had them on mopeds coming from everywhere with it."
Amanda Holden/Twitter/TwitPic
The drama started for Amanda shortly after she gave birth to 6lbs 1oz Hollie at lunchtime on Monday, January 23 - one week before her due date.
She told the newspaper: "I had something called placenta previa - a low-lying placenta that prevents you from giving birth naturally. I also had placenta accreta - which meant my placenta was stuck to the C-section scar from the two previous births. (Amanda is mum to five-year-old Lexi but tragically had a still-born baby at seven months last year.)
"But everyone at the hospital knew about it and we were prepared for it. We had pints of blood ready- everything was covered for the worst-care scenario.!
You can read the full version of this interview in today's Sunday edition of The Sun.