Gemma Collins (43), a reality TV star best known for appearing on the Only Way is Essex, Celebrity0 Big Brother has shared her personal story of making a difficult choice in her early 20s. Collins shared her story in a podcast discussion of All I Know About Me. She revealed that, on medical advice, she had to end a pregnancy.

The TV personality has spoken out about her struggle with infertility and desire to be a mother. She recalled a difficult time from her youth. The Towie star revealed that she fell pregnant when she was in her early 20s, just as her personal life had already been in turmoil.

Collins said that her relationship status at the moment complicated the situation. She revealed that her boyfriend, the father of the child, did not want to have children. Collins also discovered that her partner had allegedly been involved in an extramarital relationship, which led to the breakup of their relationship. She said that these circumstances were emotionally draining, and “it was a lot for a young person to handle.”

The most difficult part of this experience was still to come. Collins was surprised to learn that she was pregnant during a routine checkup. “When I went into the doctor’s office, they told me that something was not right.” She was then told by the medical professionals that her unborn child might be intersex.

Collins acknowledged that she did not know the term when it was first introduced. “I never learned about hermaphrodites. I didn’t even know what they are! Didn’t even know they existed. That was quite a shock.” The term “hermaphrodite”, now outdated, is preferred to “intersex”.

Collins continued, “You can imagine that I didn’t even know what the word meant. I had to go and look it up. I had never heard of [being intersex]. “That was a big shock.”

Intersex occurs when individuals are born with male and female traits. A 2021 study conducted by the University of Manchester found that approximately 1.7% of global population are intersex. This is as common as having a twin. the Independent reported this. Intersex is estimated to be 5.6 million in the U.S.

Collins’ doctors told her to terminate her pregnancy after this diagnosis. She remembered their advice, “They told me that your baby could be a hermaphrodite, just by looking at it.” This baby is not going to be right. You should terminate the pregnancy. Collins called the situation “very sad,” but concluded that it was “just meant to be.”

Collins has struggled with conception and pregnancy. She revealed that she has polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, which is known to impact fertility. Collins revealed in 2020 that she miscarried years ago, not knowing that she was pregnant at the time.

Reality star Collins has also talked about other pregnancy losses. Collins, in an emotional memory, shared: “In one instant, I discovered that I had been carrying a child and lost it. This meant that once again, my long-held dreams of motherhood were shattered to pieces.” She disclosed that she suffered a second and third miscarriage in 2020.

Intersex or ‘differences of sex’ development (DSD) is described by the NHS as “a rare grouping of conditions that involve genes, hormones, and reproductive organs including genitals.” The sex of a person is different from that of most others. The health service notes that there are many types of DSD which do not require any medical treatment other than understanding the child’s developmental stage and setting appropriate expectations for them as they grow.