Brigitte Nielsen, 59, says late motherhood should be normalised

Danish actor and singer Brigitte Nielsen has argued that late motherhood should be normalised after she welcomed her youngest child in her mid-50s.

The mum-of-five, who has been married four times before, shares four grown-up sons who are already in their late 20s and 30s with three of her former partners.

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However, she was keen to become a mum for the fifth time after meeting and marrying her current husband, Mattia Dessi.

Nielsen met Dessi, who worked as a bartender and model, when she was 40 and he was 25. The pair officially tied the knot in 2006, and Nielsen knew she shouldn't waste any time planning for their future.

Soon after meeting, the mother began freezing her eggs, telling People: "If you don't want to use [donor] eggs, you have to preserve your own eggs at a reasonable age for there to be a possibility. I wouldn't even bother trying after age 42."

The couple were told they only had a 2.5 percent chance of success, but Nielsen persevered and underwent more than 10 years of IVF treatment.

"I was always like: ‘I want to do it until there are no more embryos left,’” she told The Guardian, adding: “Somebody has to win the lottery.”

In 2018, Nielsen announced her pregnancy and welcomed the arrival of daughter Frida in June of that year.

@realbrigittenielsen/Instagram

She acknowledged that 'you have to stay realistic and, if you’re older, the odds are against you', but has expressed belief that the idea of becoming a mum at a later age shouldn't be met with judgement.

"When people say you were 54 – yeah, well, what about all the men who are in their 60s, 70s, 80s?," she argued.

Nielsen said that her bid to get pregnant was at times 'lonely' because 'a lot of women don't talk to each other about it', adding: "We should hold hands because there's nothing wrong with wanting to have a baby whether you're 20, you're 30, you're 40 or, in my case, 50."

The actor has been praised by many women for speaking out about her experience and giving them 'courage' to strive for motherhood later in life. While she said some people find it 'ridiculous' or even 'awful', she expressed belief it's not 'anyone's business' what she chooses to do with her own body.

"What I want women to know is that everything is possible, but you have to be realistic," she said.

Any pregnancy comes with its risks, but getting pregnant after the age of 35 can increase the risk of some issues including high blood pressure, premature birth or miscarriage.