Stacey Dooley has opened up about her ectopic pregnancy, describing the experience as 'dramatic' and revealing she needed immediate surgery after internal bleeding. The 38-year-old TV presenter shared her story on Amy Jackson Westwick's podcast, 'What's The Tea, Amy?', where she became emotional discussing the ordeal.
Dooley, who has a daughter Minnie with Strictly Come Dancing star Kevin Clifton, said she became pregnant again last year but 'it didn't go brilliantly'. She explained that she was in Liverpool when she was told she was bleeding internally and required urgent surgery. 'I couldn't talk about it for such a long time without bursting into floods of tears. But now I can,' she said.
The Luton-born star praised Liverpool Women's Hospital for their care. This is not the first time she has spoken about the ectopic pregnancy; she previously broke down on her TV show 'Stacey Sleeps Over' while discussing surrogacy with Barrie Drewitt-Barlow. 'We obviously wanted to expand our family, and last year I fell pregnant and it didn't go brilliantly,' she said, crying. 'It was ectopic and it was really f***ing difficult.'
Ectopic pregnancies affect around 11,000 pregnancies a year in the UK, according to the NHS, and occur when a fertilised egg implants outside the womb. They cannot be saved and usually require medical or surgical removal. Dooley reflected on the experience, saying she had started to think of 'alternative' ways to have children. 'S**t happens, and if you want a bigger family, you have to think how you’re going to do that,' she added.
Dooley met Kevin Clifton while dancing with him on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018, winning the series and starting a relationship the following year. She joins other celebrities like Charlotte Crosby and Laura Kenny who have spoken about their ectopic pregnancies. The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust provides support and information at www.ectopic.org.uk.
