Gemma Collins has revealed her plans to use the help of a surrogate if she cannot get pregnant naturally.
Speaking during a candid interview on the new Everything I Know About Me podcast, the former TOWIE star, 43, told how she could follow in the footsteps of stars such as Paris Hilton and Khloe Kardashian so she can have a family.
Gemma – who is engaged to her partner Rami Hawash – has spoken extensively about her struggles to conceive and her dream to have children.
She has now said of her approach to starting a family: ‘I’m not going to stress about it. You know, I don’t want the pressure.
‘Life’s you know, I met someone the other day that a child at 49. How lovely. You know? So we’ll see if not, I’ll get a surrogate the Kardashians done it. Paris Hilton done it. Gemma Collins can do it.’
She added that she has a low number of AMH hormone levels and so has a limited number of eggs available – before adding that she would ‘love’ baby but it’s just ‘not happening’.
And while she told how she would love a ‘little girl’ one day, she is a proud step-mum to Rami’s son already – five-year-old Tristan.
Listen to our new interview with Gemma Collins on our podcast, Everything I Know About Me:
Gemma Collins has revealed her plans to use the help of a surrogate if she cannot get pregnant naturally
Gemma has been open about past fertility struggles and has previously suffered three miscarriages.
She suffered her first heartbreaking loss in 2012, finding the strength to speak out about it publicly eight years later in 2020.
The reality star did not realise she was pregnant at the time, said that the baby ‘died in front of her’ after giving birth at home on her landing.
Gemma suffered her second pregnancy loss in 2020 during the Covid pandemic.
Tragically, just a few months later, Gemma endured a third devastating miscarriage in July 2020 after falling pregnant with her ex-boyfriend James Argent‘s baby.
In a poignant essay at the time, Gemma detailed the beginning of her miscarriage and said she had no idea she was pregnant with on-off boyfriend Arg’s baby, before she started experiencing sharp cramps one morning.
The reality star said she had dismissed the pains as a heavy period, and tried to push on through the excruciating pain, before her sister forced her to visit her doctor.
After being sent to hospital, Gemma was given the tragic news that she had suffered a miscarriage.
She said: ‘In a single instant, I learned that I’d been carrying a baby and lost it, meaning that once again I found my longstanding dreams of motherhood shattered into pieces.’
Gemma – who is engaged to her partner Rami Hawash – has spoken extensively about her struggles to conceive and her dream to have children
Gemma suffered a third devastating miscarriage in July 2020 after falling pregnant with her ex-boyfriend James Argent’s baby (pictured together in 2019)
Paris Hilton (seen) has both her children Phoenix and London from a surrogate
Gemma refuses to give up on her dream of becoming a mother and that she thinks about the miscarriage ‘every day.’
She previously detailed her battle with polycystic ovary syndrome battle (PCOS) which can affect fertility.
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a hormonal disorder causing enlarged ovaries with small cysts on the outer edges. Symptoms include menstrual irregularity, excess hair growth, acne, and obesity.
Earlier this year she was praying for a baby with her fiancé Rami. She is stepmother to his son Tristan.
Gemma recently said she was pleased to hear that Tana Ramsay had welcomed her sixth child at the age of 49, giving her hope that she, too, can conceive in her 40s.
She told MailOnline: ‘The Tana Ramsay news was the greatest thing to wake up to. Incredible.
‘It really made me think positively about my future and kind of took the pressure off. I don’t think anyone knew she was pregnant, so it was a lovely surprise, but I got butterflies in my stomach when I saw it.
‘This is amazing news for me. I’m starting my fertility journey within the next couple of weeks. I’m going to a clinic so watch these cards and get ready for me, honey.’
Gemma previously revealed she would wait until her 50s to try for a baby, having been inspired by supermodel Naomi Campbell, but has now decided to bring forward her plans.
Fertility specialists have warned, however, that celebrity success stories about later motherhood could convince women they can naturally conceive later in life or that fertility treatment is easy.
For most women aged over 45, the odds of becoming pregnant naturally stand at around one per cent.
Gemma’s gruelling fertility journey became apparent in 2017 during an episode of The Only Way Is Essex.
Broadcast to the nation, Gemma was told age 36 that she could not freeze her eggs and had a low egg count.
This meant that the star’s fertility options would be limited.
The doctor strongly advised against egg freezing and said she had two options ahead of her: IVF with donor sperm or the use of a donor egg and sperm.
Gemma was also told her weight would have a negative impact on her chances of falling pregnant and has since been on a quest to lose weight naturally.
The reality star has had a rollercoaster of a time with her weight as she has battled with trolls for the last two decades.
During her 20s, Gemma was a size 10 – but after she was diagnosed with PCOS, she piled on weight.
Earlier this year she was praying for a baby with her fiancé Rami. She is stepmother to his son Tristan, five (pictured together)
She admitted she never saw the weight creep in during her 20s because she was using it as an emotional coping mechanism.
In the first four episodes of Everything I Know About Me, Gemma also reveals she was advised to terminate a pregnancy after learning her unborn baby was intersex.
Elsewhere Gemma also shares insight into her childhood growing up in Essex, candidly detailing the bullying she endured at school and her stalker struggles over the years.
The TV personality also opens up on her struggles with self-harming during her teenage years, detailing how she would take slimming pills when she was just 13 years old after facing cruel jibes about her weight.
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