Beloved ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ Star David Henrie & His Wife Open Up About Devastating Family Losses

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David Henrie, best known for his role on “Wizards of Waverly Place,” and his wife, Maria Cahill, have bravely opened up about something deeply personal: their fertility journey and loss. 

David Henrie & Wife Maria Cahill Open Up About Miscarriages

In an appearance on “The Unplanned Podcast” on Wednesday, November 11, the couple revealed that they have had ten miscarriages. Henrie called it a “really tough” experience and revealed they wanted “to quit and to give up,” People reports. 

The couple has been married since 2017. They share four children, Pia, James, Gemma, and newborn Peter. Reflecting on their loss, Henrie said, “At a certain point I feel like your brain is just telling you to quit [and] to give up. It’s really tough because it’s like we see all the doctors, we fly all over the country to meet different doctors and figure out what’s going on … and so we feel like we’re doing the right things, right?”

He added, “Right when we get to a point where the doctor was like, ‘okay, you can try again,’ something else would happen.”

Cahill shared her thoughts and revealed that she sought medical advice before each pregnancy. “What people don’t know is we had doctors for every single one of them, like we got the okay for every single one of those,” she explained. “The tough part is I had three when I first got married, … and they actually won’t even look at you and see if anything’s wrong until you have three.”

She continued, “After my first, I had gone to an OB because I didn’t even know what was happening with my first. I bled for a couple of days. I was like buying pregnancy books because I had no idea that meant it was like the start of the miscarriage.” 

Their Beautiful Rainbow Baby

Henrie and Cahill’s brave decision to speak so openly about miscarriages and fertility helps remove any stigma surrounding it and can bring comfort to those who find themselves in similar situations to know that they are not alone. 

In an Instagram post on September 3, the couple revealed that Peter, who was born on September 2, is their “rainbow baby,” and they buried their daughter, Isabel, in November 2023 after losing her in the second trimester due to Cahill suffering from severe food poisoning. 

Cahill bravely reflected on this moment, writing, “That was literally the most traumatic experience of my life: home alone, kids asleep in the rooms next door, David on a flight. Complete nightmare fuel for the next three years. This birth has been nothing short of redemptive for our family, especially our kids who prayed every single day quite directly and (slightly) morbidly ‘that Peter doesn’t die.’ We are so immensely grateful that he’s here.”

She also took a moment to recognize other women who had experienced loss. “Thinking of you women today – your stories, like mine, are not defined by these struggles or by the amount of kids we can or can’t have,” she shared. “September 2nd was a massive day of redemption for our family, and we praying today specifically for all you who are looking for your own redemptive birth, whatever that looks like for your family. Sending you a big hug.”