Warning: This article contains discussion of baby loss which some readers may find distressing
The Only Way is Essex royalty Gemma Collins has tearfully opened up about her experience with pregnancy and termination.
Speaking on an episode of the Everything I Know About Me podcast that aired today (9 May), the 43-year-old reality star broke down into floods of tears as she recounted her traumatic experience.
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Gemma shared that years ago, she discovered she was pregnant and was ultimately advised to get a termination.
She said: "They said to me 'something's not right'.
"They said to me 'oh your baby could be, from looking at it, [intersex]'."
She continued: "You can imagine I didn't know what the word was.
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"I had to look it up. I'd never been taught about it. So that was a real shock.
"Then they advised me 'you need to have a termination'."
The TOWIE star added, sounding tearful: "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."
Reflecting on her experience, Gemma acknowledged that that time in her life was 'very sad', but it was 'just not meant to be'.
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The NHS website states that intersex is 'a term preferred by some for 'differences in sex development' (DSD).
People who are born intersex have anatomy that doesn't traditionally align with societal definitions of 'male and female', with Planned Parenthood adding that while most intersex children are 'assigned' a legal sex, it might not be the gender identity they'll grow to share.
Gemma has been open about her struggles with pregnancy throughout the years and her heartbreaking experience of miscarriage.
The first tragically took place in 2012 and she shared that another had happened during the first lockdown of the pandemic.
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On an appearance on Loose Women in 2020, she shared: "It's not easy to fall pregnant. I did suffer a miscarriage, which was really sad, during the lockdown period."
She added that losing a baby with someone she 'loved very much' was 'heartbreaking'.
Gemma suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome, which led her to at first believe that the bleeding meant she was just having a very heavy period.
She concluded at the time: "It was very sad. But it does make me realise that potentially there is hope there for me for the future."
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Gemma is engaged to Rami Hawash, who has a five-year-old son, Tristan.
And last November (2023), the star shared her optimism for having her own child with Rami.
Following the announcement of Gordon Ramsay's wife becoming a mother to her sixth child at 49, Gemma said: "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."
If you need support and advice following a pregnancy loss, you can contact the Tommy’s team at [email protected]. You can also call them for free on 0800 014 7800, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Featured Image Credit: Everything I Know About MeTopics: Gemma Collins, Reality TV, Health