Gladiators star Steel has paid a heartbreaking tribute to his baby boy Leo after his funeral.
The athlete, 34, shared the tragic news last month that his son had died just days after his wife Samantha gave birth.
Baby Leo was born at 23 weeks, weighing less than two pounds.
In the weeks that have followed, Zack has shared updates on his family through their grief, and been supported by his fans and co-stars.
In a video posted on Wednesday, he paid tribute to his son, writing: ‘The hardest speech I’ve ever had to read.’
He said: ‘You came into this world early, tiny and brave, with a heart that beat like thunder.
‘Thirteen days. That’s all we had. But in that time, you taught us more about love, and courage, than most ever will.
‘Your body was small, but your spirit was big, fierce and unafraid.
‘We called you Leo, our lion, not for how loud you roared, but for how hard you fought to stay.
‘You knew our voices, you knew our touch, the warmth of our hearts pressed against yours.
‘You were held, you were known and you were loved.
‘And though the world only had a brief chance to meet you, you changed it and You changed us.
‘Now that you rest, we still carry you— in every quiet moment, in the breath between tears, in the space you filled just by being here. our son, our lion— you will always matter. You will always be ours.
‘Rest easy our little boy.’
The clip showed flowers and teddy bears left for their son Leo, as well as a heartbreaking image of his and Samantha’s hands resting over their son’s coffin.
‘Sending you so much love to you both,’ Zack’s Gladiators co-star Karanjeet Bains commented.
Toby Olubi also said: ‘Here with you bro.’
‘Love you both,’ Emily Steel added, as several others shared heart emojis.
Zack announced the heartbreaking news of Leo’s death on April 8, thanking his son for bringing them a ‘lifetime of love’, and writing: ‘Your mummy brought you into this world and your daddy held you as you left ♥️
‘Leo…… you showed us what the true definition of strength is and we are so proud of you.
‘You brought so much positivity to the world with the short time you were with us and we felt that positivity in abundance, we thank you all so much for that.
‘Although you were only with us for a short time, you brought us a lifetime of love. Thank you for letting us know that YOU had had enough of this fight. We will forever be grateful that we didn’t have to make that decision for you 💔
‘Leo our lion, we love you more than you will ever know
‘Rest easy our little boy.’
Zack and Samantha, who wed last year, also share daughter Ivy.
Sands UK charity
Sands UK is a stillbirth and neonatal death charity, which works to reduce the number of babies dying and to ensure that those affected by the loss of a baby receives the best possible care for as long as they need it.
The charity aims to better understand the causes of baby deaths and works with governments and other organisations to raise awareness of issues surrounding baby loss.
Sands provides bereavement support at a local and national level.
Please visit the Sands UK website for more information and contact details.
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