‘I feel an enormous amount of shame – and I’ll live to regret it’: Great British Bake Off star Laura Adlington, 32, reveals doctors told her to lose 14st in order to have IVF and admits guilt over being unable to shed the weight
Laura Adlington has spoken about the stigma surrounding plus-size fertility in a new episode of her podcast and says doctors advised her to lose 14 stone to embark on an IVF journey but feels guilt over being unable to lose the weight.
Speaking to her best friend Lauren Smith, the Great British Bake Off star, 32, opened up on restrictions around fertility treatments and even adoption, with some local authorities rejecting applications on the basis of BMI/weight.
Talking on her Go Love Yourself podcast, she said: ‘The cut off point for IVF is BMI over 30, so she [the doctor] was like you’re probably looking at about 14 stone that needs to come off. And I was just sat there like, okay…’
Honest: Laura Adlington has spoken candidly about the stigma surrounding plus-size fertility in a new episode of her podcast
Laura found herself unable to lose the weight and therefore not have the treatment – something she feels ‘an enormous amount of shame’ for.
She explained: ‘We couldn’t do it, because I just couldn’t [lose] the weight…and I still feel an enormous amount of shame about that…I know I’ll live to regret it.
‘I can totally understand why people would just lose weight then. I get it. I would look at someone else [who hasn’t managed to lose weight] and think “well you don’t want it that much”.’
She added: ‘You use food for comfort, and you’re sad because you can’t have a baby. What are you going to do, just live a doubly miserable existence?’
Candid: Speaking to her best friend Lauren Smith, the Great British Bake Off star, 32, opened up on restrictions around fertility treatments and even adoption, with some local authorities rejecting applications on the basis of BMI/weight (pictured on GBBO 2020)
The friends then spoke about the rules surrounding BMI and adoption, with Laura saying: ‘Let’s be realistic, if your weight seriously affects your health, [to the extent] that you cannot physically look after a child, fine. I get that. You should want the best for that child.’
Lauren replied by saying: ‘But with any health condition – not just weight. There seems to be this emphasis on weight when it comes to fertility. It should be any health condition.’
Laura echoed: ‘It’s just ridiculous. It doesn’t make any sense to me when there are loads of kids out there who need a loving home, which we could provide in abundance.’
She went on: ‘Is that not weight stigma at its finest? That’s like saying to someone, sorry, you can’t adopt because you might get dementia. Sorry, you can’t adopt because you might be in a car crash in five years…it’s just fatphobia at its absolute best.’
She added that she was denied drugs to promote fertility because of her weight.
She said: ‘We [plus-size women] are not even allowed drugs, like clomid, a drug which is supposed to help you ovulate more regularly – I wasn’t even allowed that. Nothing. It’s like you don’t exist, you don’t matter.’
Laura, who previously revealed she’d considered a gastric sleeve ahead of her Bake Off debut, started the podcast as a response to the shocking body shaming messages she received after her TV debut.
Last year, Laura explained she had been left ‘heartbroken’ by some of the horrific comments sent her way, but insisted: ‘I’m not going to let some d**khead who doesn’t know the difference between “your” and “you’re” get me down.’
The blonde beauty shared a string of nasty comments, including one she said ‘broke’ her that read: ‘You will never have kids as your a whale. Probably the reason you haven’t had them yet.’ [sic]
Trolling: Laura, who previously revealed she’d considered a gastric sleeve ahead of her Bake Off debut, started the podcast as a response to the shocking body shaming messages she received after her TV debut
Responding, Laura told her followers that she ‘felt absolutely heartbroken somebody could be so cruel’ but ‘then remembered the 99.9% of messages I get from you which are supportive and kind’.
Her response read in full: ‘This vile message broke me yesterday. It was so personal, especially the baby comment, and I felt absolutely heartbroken somebody could be so cruel.
‘It made me want to delete my account and hide away. But then I remembered the 99.9% of messages I get from you which are supportive and kind.
‘Thank you to those of you who do message, who like and comment and are supportive. It really does mean so much.
‘I like helping people and I know how hard it is to feel comfortable in a plus size body and find nice clothes.
‘That’s why I share what I do. Thanks to those of you that get it.’
She concluded: ‘And don’t worry, I’m not going to let some d**khead who doesn’t know the difference between “your” and ‘you’re’ get me down.’
Awful: Last year, Laura explained she had been left ‘heartbroken’ by some of the horrific comments sent her way as she shared screenshots of the messages
Laura previously opened up to the Daily Mail about being diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder at the age of 24.
Revealing she has been on anti-anxiety medication for five years, Laura was initially unsure whether she should apply to Bake Off 2020 and didn’t know if she could deal with the process and attention.
She explained she almost didn’t apply because she was worried about how the social media trolls would deal with a ‘bigger girl’ appearing on a baking show.
But Laura decided to overcome her fears, saying: ‘I decided I’d had enough self-loathing — I don’t need to deal with other people’s opinions of my size.’
Laura’s brave response read: ‘This vile message broke me yesterday. It was so personal, especially the baby comment, and I felt absolutely heartbroken somebody could be so cruel’
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