Former Love Island contestant Maxwell Samuda has become the first man to publicly link his health problems to the pregnancy drug diethylstilbestrol (DES), taken by his grandmother in the 1970s. The 26-year-old, who appeared on the ninth series of ITV's show, has reproductive issues including undescended testes, a benign scrotal lump, varicocele, and low sperm count, which he believes are caused by exposure to the drug.
His mother, Natalie Samuda, 50, and grandmother, Maureen Day, 78, also attribute their health problems—breast cancer, pre-cancerous cervical cells, and autoimmune conditions—to DES. The family is backing campaign group DES Justice UK's call for a full public inquiry and compensation scheme for those affected.
DES, a synthetic oestrogen, was prescribed to about 300,000 women in the UK from the 1940s to the 1970s to prevent miscarriage and suppress lactation. It was linked to clear cell adenocarcinoma in 1971, prompting US regulators to ban its use in pregnancy, but it continued to be prescribed in Europe until the late 1970s. The drug is also associated with other cancers and reproductive abnormalities.
Maxwell Samuda, now living in Dubai, said: 'Being told that you might potentially have issues with [having a family]… it's definitely an unsettling feeling. And it can be very frustrating to know that it's off the back of something that happened 50-odd years ago that I had no control over.' He urged men to seek medical advice promptly for any reproductive health concerns.
Natalie Samuda, a former midwife, stressed the need for a full inquiry to understand how the drug was used and to prevent future harm. 'So many people's lives have been affected,' she said, describing years of daily illness, treatments, and surgeries.
