Vicky Pattison has spoken about the emotional toll of sharing her egg-freezing journey with the public, saying it left her feeling broken. The 35-year-old TV star, who lives in Essex, said she wanted to be transparent because there is not enough honest information available about fertility.
However, she was unprepared for the backlash she received from her 5.4 million Instagram followers. "I had some really horrible messages," she said. "I underestimated how much this would upset people. I tried to be sensitive but I wasn't prepared for some people to be so cruel." The abuse became so intense that she had to take a break from social media.
Pattison, who rose to fame on Geordie Shore in her native Newcastle, said people asked why she did not simply have a baby now that she has a boyfriend. She described such comments as "toxic and outdated". She said it was important to recognise that there are many different routes to motherhood, and that women who choose to wait should be celebrated.
The former I'm a Celebrity winner, who now presents a podcast, said she had never been a maternal person and had always been career-focused. After meeting her fiancé Ercan Ramadan, she began to want children, but they decided it was not the right time. The couple started tests at The London Women's Clinic in Brentwood last October, but their plans were delayed when a cyst was found on one of Pattison's ovaries.
Egg collection eventually took place in April, but the process was far from smooth. Pattison struggled with the hormonal treatment, experiencing sudden bouts of tears. She also made the difficult decision to keep some eggs unfertilised as a back-up plan, a choice supported by her fiancé. She said a message from one woman, who felt less alone after following her journey, convinced her that being open was the right thing to do.
