This Morning presenter Ashley James has been supported by her followers after bravely opening up about suffering from incontinence.
Ashley, 39, regularly features on the ITV show with presenters including Ben Shephard, Cat Deeley and Nick Ferrari. After sharing a personal update on social media, Ashley appeared on Wednesday's show where she spoke about the health condition.
Paris Trip and a Humiliating Moment
During the weekend, the mum-of-two shared on Instagram that she had taken her partner to Paris to see Celine Dion but suffered "a little side of humiliation."
She went on: "I shared this on my Stories this weekend and was actually blown away by the response, and it reminded me how important it is to speak about these things. So here we go, a little bit of Sunday evening TMI Lots of you will know that since having Alf I’ve lived with various birth complications, and one of them is incontinence."
"Anyway, I managed to leave my wash bag on the Eurostar, which had my Tena pads in it, so there I was having to send Tommy out in Paris to buy me some more. Half the Champs-Élysées was closed because of the Pope, but off he went, eventually returning not with pads, but Tena PANTS Needs must. And honestly, no matter how glam I may look sometimes, there’s something very humbling about the reality of pulling on your Tena pants."
A Call for Support, Not Shame
"I’m so grateful to have a partner who has never made me feel embarrassed about any of it, but also, that should be the bar. I have these birth injuries because I gave birth to our children, and so many of us live with birth injuries, with nowhere near enough postpartum care, while somehow being made to feel like the consequences are embarrassing or a failure on our part."
"They’re not. Our bodies go through huge, sometimes permanent sacrifices to bring children into the world, and we deserve support, not shame. My DMs were FULL of women saying “me too”, with so many of you saying it feels like a dirty secret, and actually all of your messages reminded me there really is no shame."
"I’m still doing my pelvic floor training, still putting off the surgery, but in the meantime I’m not letting it stop me living my life."
Fans Share Their Own Stories
Ashley was showered in support from her followers, with one writing: "Thanks so much for sharing this. Really help and support so many of us."
Another said: "Thank you for sharing this @ashleylouisejames - every time someone opens up about incontinence it helps so many people feel seen and less alone." Someone else said: "As a mum who’s 7 weeks post partum I needed to see this today!"
Ashley spoke about her incontinence and that she would need surgery while on This Morning, reports the Mirror. She explained how it began after the "traumatic" birth of her son six years ago, and how she later discovered that the faecal incontinence she was suffering was "not normal", despite believing it was something that women were just not talking about.
She continued: “The reason I decided to share actually is because it is something where I’m very conscious that my life looks so glamorous, I get my hair and makeup done, I go to these amazing events and I feel so lucky, but actually below the surface of it, incontinence doesn’t discriminate and I don’t want to feel ashamed or embarrassed of it, which naturally you do.
“It’s not my fault, this happened to me as a consequence of the birth of my son and I think the only way that we can normalise it is by talking about it and actually the response has been amazing, because so many people experience it and also feel ashamed and alone and I think that silence and embarrassment stops people from seeking support and getting help.”
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and ITVX. For more information, visit the NHS website on bowel incontinence.
