Sobbing Gemma Collins 'told to terminate intersex pregnancy' by doctors
Gemma Collins has opened up about being advised to terminate her pregnancy by doctors, revealing she was told her baby "was not right". The former The Only Way Is Essex star has spoken out about the devastating ordeal, which occurred when doctors found out her baby was intersex.
Gemma, 43, has been open about her quest to become a mum over the years, having suffered three miscarriages in the past. She has now shared the sad story about one of her pregnancy which resulted in doctors advising her to undergo a termination, while speaking on the Everything I Know podcast.
"Something is not right, they said to me your baby could be a hermaphrodite," she tearfully recalled. "You can imagine I had no idea what the word was. I had to look it up. It was a real shock. They advised me you need to have a termination because this baby is not going to be right."
Gemma shared her heartbreak over the situation. She added: "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."
An intersex person is born with both female and male characteristics. This can be genitalia, hormones, internal anatomy or chromosomes. It is relatively common, with an estimated 30,000 intersex people in the UK.
Gemma confirmed the ordeal did not occur during her relationship with current partner Rami Hawash. She said it had happened while she was in a relationship with an ex-boyfriend, who she had been living with.
The TOWIE star said her then-boyfriend was "not around" during the doctor's appointment. She admitted to being "heartbroken" as she discovered her ex was having an affair, adding that there was "a lot to deal with" at the time.
"It was all for the best, it's only now when you look back and yeah it was very. Sad about the baby but it was just not meant to be," the reality TV favourite added.
Gemma has been open about her desire to have a baby over the years and spoke candidly about the loss she's suffered due to miscarriages. She and fiancé Rami, 49, spoke to OK! last month about their desire to start a family together.
Gemma said: "We're going to visit a fertility clinic soon to see if there's any complications and if I'm able to conceive. I'm nowhere near menopause yet so that will hopefully take the pressure off as I was panicking a bit."
Rami added: "What's meant to be will be," before adding: "We're going to relax and put it into God's hands to see what happens. What's meant to be will be."
