Nadia Bartel is targeted by vile trolls after revealing heartbreaking loss with partner Peter Dugmore

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Nadia Bartel has called out trolls who made vile comments after revealing she had a miscarriage.

Last July, the 40-year-old, who is known for her past relationship with an Australian rules football player, sadly lost her baby while undergoing IVF treatment with her partner, Peter Dugmore.

After sharing her personal news, Nadia used Instagram to publicly criticize men who had made inappropriate and hurtful comments about it.

She shared screenshots from feminist advocate Sherele Moody, revealing a disturbing wave of hateful comments men had posted in response to news coverage about Nadia’s experience.

I was absolutely horrified to see a screenshot of a truly disgusting comment shared on Facebook. It was a really crude and sexual joke, and it made light of Nadia’s incredibly painful experience with losing her baby. It was just awful to see someone try to make a joke out of such a heartbreaking situation.

Even more troubling was the support the post received from other male commenters. 

‘Comment of the week,’ one offered.

One person commented, ‘That’s gold,’ and added laughing emojis. Another simply wrote ‘LOL’.

It didn’t end there, with another writing: ‘You get that. Now, what about some real news?’

One cruel commenter added: ‘Nature doing its work.’  

The Sherele’s Red Heart Movement, dedicated to raising awareness about violence against women, also publicly identified the men featured in the screenshot she posted.

Nadia received a lot of support online, and many people criticized those who had been unkind in their comments.

‘Not all men yet somehow always a man,’ one wrote.

Someone else expressed a similar sentiment, asking, ‘Are men alright? How can anyone find humor in miscarriage and twist it into something sexist and offensive?’

Someone else said they don’t particularly like Nadia, but that no one deserves to be subjected to such hateful and awful comments.

Last week, Nadia shared with her TikTok followers that she had a miscarriage. She and her ex-husband, Jimmy Bartel, are parents to two children: Aston, age 10, and Henley, age 7.

She shared that she experienced a ‘missed miscarriage’ at seven weeks of pregnancy, and described it as a very difficult time.

She explained that even in the early stages of pregnancy, many women start envisioning their future with their child and quickly become very connected to both the pregnancy and the baby growing inside them.

‘When something like that happens it’s really disheartening.’

She explained that she feels it’s crucial to openly discuss IVF, infertility, and miscarriage to reduce the shame and stigma surrounding these experiences.

I realize this is a very private matter, and I completely respect anyone who doesn’t want to discuss it.

Starting that conversation is incredibly difficult, particularly when you’re experiencing a tough time and feeling overwhelmed.

She went on to explain that dealing with it is all-encompassing and emotionally draining, and she’s noticed many people only discuss those feelings once they’ve achieved success.

You know, I really believe it helps to share what you’re experiencing, to talk about the tough stuff as it’s happening. It’s like… getting it all out there is a huge weight off your shoulders. I think it’s so important to connect with others when you’re going through something, even just to vent. It’s just… good to talk!

Nadia found comfort in connecting with other women who had experienced the loss of a baby, which helped her cope with her own grief.

She explained that connecting with others and sharing her experiences was incredibly helpful and gave her a sense of hope.

‘Learning more from other people who maybe were a similar age to me and had also gotten pregnant.

Perhaps they had a miscarriage and then got pregnant again – sharing that experience really resonated with me.

I was surprised by how many people shared that they had also experienced a miscarriage when I started talking about it.

It’s been really helpful to connect with others, especially because when I was pregnant with Aston ten years ago, people didn’t really discuss these things openly. It feels good to be able to share experiences now.

The founder of Henne also shared that she’s been relying on her partner, Peter, for support while undergoing IVF treatment.

She added that it’s especially challenging because, at almost 41, egg quality and the number of eggs a woman has naturally decrease significantly with age.

Red Nose offers support to people who have experienced the loss of a pregnancy, a stillbirth, or the death of a baby or child.

Honestly, I’ve been following Red Nose for ages, and they’re just incredible. If you or anyone you know is going through something awful after the loss of a baby, please, please reach out to them. They have a support line open all the time, 24/7 – you can call them on 1300 308 307. Or, you can find tons of helpful resources on their website, rednose.org.au/support. Seriously, they’re a lifeline. I just want everyone to know they’re not alone, and Red Nose is there for them.

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2026-04-17 08:04