The Only Way Is Essex star, Gemma Collins, has made a heart-wrenching revelation about terminating her pregnancy on medical advice. In an emotional interview with the Everything I Know About Me podcast, she disclosed that doctors had recommended ending her pregnancy.
Gemma, who has been candid about her fertility struggles and three miscarriages, revealed that the unborn child was intersex, which is now referred to as Differences in sex development (DSD), where a baby possesses both male and female sexual organs.
In the UK, it is estimated that there are around 30,000 intersex individuals, with the condition occurring in approximately one in every 2,000 births. The TOWIE star shared her story as part of a broader discussion about her life experiences, including childhood bullying and self-harm during her teenage years.
She also opened up about resorting to weight-loss pills at the tender age of 13 due to school bullying.
Gemma experienced her first miscarriage in 2012, a traumatic event made worse by the fact that she didn’t realise she was pregnant until she lost the baby at home. She suffered two more miscarriages in 2020.
Speaking on the podcast, she said: “They said to me your baby could be a hermaphrodite. I didn’t know what the word was and had to look it up. I didn’t know they existed.
“That was a real shock. And they said to me you need to have a termination.”
“Hermaphrodite” is a term that is no longer used because it is deemed misleading and stigmatising.
Gemma has previously spoken about her fertility issues linked to her battle with polycystic ovary syndrome.
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.
It has not stopped her hopes of becoming a mother one day after seeing Gordon Ramsay’s wife Tana become a mother again at the age of 49.
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.”
Earlier this year she was praying for a baby with her fiancé Rami Hawash. She is stepmother to his son Tristan, five.
Listen to Gemma Collins on the Mail’s Everything I Know About Me podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
For confidential support please contact the Miscarriage Association on 01924 200799 or email info@miscarriageassociation.org.uk
