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Clare Mackintosh, the police officer turned author, tells 5 Live how people reacted to the death of her 5-week-old son Alex.

He died in 2006 after contracting meningitis in hospital.

Known for writing thrillers, Clare has recently turned to writing about her own grief - 18 years on.

Clare said the public nature of her job meant that the news of Alex's death was widely known.

"When I ultimately came home from the hospital with just one baby, instead of two, everybody knew about it.

"People said 'well at least you've got another one'... lots of people saying a variety of 'he's in a better place or at least he's not suffering'", she said.

She hopes her new book will help educate people to know what to say to someone who is grieving.

"It is human nature to want to say something and to come out with a platitude that actually if you really thought about it, you would realise that that is quite a hurtful thing to say", she added.

This clip was originally from Naga Munchetty on 5 March 2024.

Listen back on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Sounds.

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