![Shay Mitchell Shares Inspiring Message After Revealing Miscarriage](/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Shay-Mitchell-Miscarriage-01.jpg?w=1000&quality=40&strip=all)
Keeping her head up. Shay Mitchell bravely revealed on New Year’s Day that she suffered a miscarriage in 2018 — and now she’s sharing an inspiring message of encouragement to let fans know they’re not alone.
The Pretty Little Liars alum, 31, who has been dating Canadian TV host Matte Babel for two years, told Us Weekly exclusively that she purposely posts “the good, the bad and the ugly” on social media because she wants her fans to know her life isn’t perfect, even though it may seem that way.
“I’m really fortunate to live, like, all these different experiences, but I also wanted to be honest with my fans and viewers and say, ‘Look, this happens to everybody, too,” she said at the launch of Buxom’s Wanderlust Collection in Los Angeles on Thursday, January 10. “You can go through ups and downs; don’t let it stop you. Keep on moving. We all go through our hardships, but let’s just be kind towards one another.”
![Shay Mitchell Shares Inspiring Message After Revealing Miscarriage](/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Shay-Mitchell-Miscarriage-02.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all)
As for why she decided to open up about one of her “darkest days,” Mitchell explained that she wanted to remind people to “treat everybody with respect and how you want to be treated at all times” because “you never know the shoes somebody else is walking in, or the day that they have had.”
The You actress continued, “There are people that go through so many different hard things. I really just wanted to be like, ‘Look, let’s just all come together and just be nicer this year, to everybody. First and foremost, let that be the main takeaway from this — let’s just be nice to people.’”
Mitchell’s former PLL costar Janel Parrish said she was “heartbroken” to learn of the Heiresses star’s miscarriage. “I respect her bravery so much,” the Dancing With the Stars contestant told Entertainment Tonight on Friday, January 4.
The Perfectionists actress added, “That can’t be an easy thing to talk about, and a lot of people go through that, and I think she can inspire people for the hope of, you know … life still going on and amazing things still happening.”
With reporting by Carly Sloane