My mum gave birth for

‘ My mum gave birth

for me – twice!’

A rare medical c ondition left Maddie Coleman unable t o ha ve children –but her mum came to the rescue as a surrogate

The whole family together

ike an y doting grandmother, Megan Bark er adores spending time with her two grandchildren: Gus , three, and Emm y, one . But the bond they share is particularly special because Megan not only gave birth to both of her grandchildren, but fed them too!

She was 47 years old when she first acted as surrogate for her daughter, Maddie Coleman, 27. And she gave birth to her youngest grandchild last year, aged 50. L

UPSETTING Maddie, who lives with her husband, Tyler, in California, says, “Mum helped me to fulfil my baby dream not once, but twice. “I am so grateful to her. The experience has brought us closer together and she ’s a wonderful grandma.” Maddie w as diagnosed with a rare reproductive condition, known as M ayerRokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH), aged just 14. It meant her uterus and cervix hadn’t formed properly and she would be unable to carry her own child.

Maddie says, “When I was diagnosed, I was young and hadn’t thought much about children – but it was a very upsetting time.

“Thankfully, Mum was amazing, and immediately promised to carry a child for me when the time came.

“It was a lot to take in at that age, but knowing I had Mum as my potential surrogate one

PHOTOS: PARK AVENUE PHOTOGRAPHY Tyler and Maddie with their newborn baby day made things easier. I didn ’t quite realise at the time what a big deal it w as for her to offer to do that for me .”

HEALTH ISSUES At 21, Maddie met Tyler, who is now her husband. But just a few months later, doctors discovered that benign tumours were growing on her ovaries.

She said, “The doctors said they would remove the tumours and, as the surgery could damage my ovaries, they advised me to freeze my eggs at the same time.” Maddie had 18 eggs collected, and it was then that she asked her mum about becoming a surrogate for her. Maddie says, “At 47, Mum was healthy and willing to go ahead. I felt more comfortable with Mum being a surrogate – someone I trusted – rather than a younger stranger.”

In November 2015, Megan passed a series of mental and physical health checks to ensure she could carry a child and be able to handle the idea of handing the baby over. Maddie says, “Mum is a strong woman. I had no doubt she’d be able to do this for us. “From the very beginning, she just saw herself as a vessel for the baby to grow in, and I knew she’d only ever see the baby as her grandchild.”

Supported by Maddie’s stepfather and two half-sisters, McKenna, 16, and Merrin, 15, Megan was implanted with two fertilised embryos in January 2016. Incredibly, she fell pregnant straight away.

Maddie says, “I wanted to be there for Mum throughout the pregnancy. I went to every scan, did her chores, would give her foot massages, and brought her lots of chocolate!

REAL LIFE

“It’s one thing to go through pregnancy in your twenties or thirties, but quite another when you’re almost 50. I was just so grateful.”

EXPENSIVE After a smooth pregnancy and natural delivery, Gus was born on 22 October 2016. Maddie was by her mother’s side and held her new son first, to ensure they bonded through skin-toskin contact, before Tyler held him and then Megan was able to hold him.

Maddie says, “We’d already picked out the name Gus and the feeling of holding my baby boy was indescribable.

“Mum was brilliant and even expressed her milk for Gus for £3,800 for each round.

“We were thrilled when Mum fell pregnant again. At the 14-week scan, I finally started to relax again.”

When the couple learned they were having a daughter, they picked the name Emmy and tried to explain the situation to Gus, then two.

Maddie says, “We told him Emmy was growing in his Grandma’s tummy, and that was where he’d grown, too. He wasn’t fazed by it, and he’d stroke her bump and feel the baby kick.”

At 38 weeks, Megan went into labour with Emmy. Maddie says, “Once again, I was so amazed by how strong Mum is. When Emmy was born, I instantly fell in love.”

The little family were given a separate room to allow Megan to rest and Gus was brought into hospital to meet his baby sister.

weeks. It didn’t feel weird at all – I just wanted to make sure he had the benefits of breastmilk. “Mum was a great help. She would often babysit for us too .” Within days, Maddie and Tyler, who both ha ve siblings , began to consider adding to their family again.

Maddie says, “I wanted more children, but I also felt it would be easier for Gus if he had a sibling who came into the world the same way as him.

“I planned to ask Mum – but she beat me to it. She told me pretty soon after Gus was born that she would help us have a second child. W e had ten embry os left and it cost £770 a y ear to store them, so after Gus turned one, we decided to try to have another baby.” Sadly, in September 2017, Megan suffered a miscarriage. Then, in March 2018, Megan was inseminated with two more fertilised embryos.

Maddie says, “We knew this attempt would be our final chance, as it was just so expensive, costing more than THE MISSING PIECE Maddie says, “He was so soft and gentle and gave her little kisses on her hand.

“Looking at them together, it felt like my family was complete. Emmy was the missing piece.”

Back home, Megan expressed milk for Emmy again, but soon Maddie switched exclusively to formula. Now ever yone sees each other regularly. Maddie sa ys, “ We are very close , and M um spoils the kids lik e an y grandmother does . “This experience has taught me so much about being a mother. I hope that I can be as strong and supportive for m y children as m y mum has been for me .” Megan told Closer , “Being a surrogate for my daughter and son-in-law was the most amazing and rewarding thing I’ve done in my life.

“The gift of a son and daughter for them was a gift for our whole family and to see Maddie and Tyler become parents is the biggest reward.” By Alexandra Meyer ❛ I FELT MORE COMFORTABLE WITH HER AS MY SURROGATE R A THER THAN A STRANGER ❜

GEORDIE SHORE GIRLS:

‘We’ve g rown u p & settl

The former reality stars reveal how they’ve swapped wild nights out for quiet evenings in, and talk marriage

SO PHIE:

‘I’ll find The One by the end of this year’

Her best pal Holly Hagan is

engaged, while her cousin,

Marnie Simpson, has just

welcomed a baby boy. And

now Sophie Kasaei admits

she’s ready to settle down too.

The reality star, 30, split up

with year-long boyfriend Jay

Bigz last July, just two months

after quitting Geordie Shore

t o f ocus on their relationship. And Sophie says that, after taking six months to get over her sadness, she’s ready to find love again – but only if it’s with her dream man.

She says, “I’ve got over my heartbreak and that was really hard. It was a struggle. “But now, I’m at that point where I know someone will come along, and that next person will be The One.

“I’ve bought my house, so now I want this year to be the one in

which I settle down. I’ll find The One, and then start a family.”

And Sophie says that her life now is a world away from her

former partying days, as she much prefers quiet nights in

to wild nights out.

She adds, “I literally hate

clubbing these days. It’s just not for me – I’ve grown up.

“I know I have to put myself out there to meet people. I don’t

want to sit at home all the time, thinking about my ex. But I also

do just like being at home and doing my thing.” Her boyfriend Jacob proposed last year

INTERVIEW

e d d own!’

enings in, and talk marriage, motherhood, and the natural look

HOLL Y:

‘Having kids is trendy – but I’m not ready’

She’s planning her wedding

to footballer Jacob Blyth after the couple got engaged last

year. But Holly Hagan says that, despite the current reality

star baby boom, she won’t be getting pregnant any time soon.

Holly, 27, says, “Babies are like this ‘thing’ now, aren’t they? It’s

what you see on social media. Everyone loves kids. When I saw

Marnie’s baby Rox, I got really broody. I was like, ‘Jacob, I want

a child now’. But then I started thinking about it, and I realised

I’m really not ready yet. I want to wait as long as I can.”

Holly has transformed her looks from when she first

appeared on our screens as an 18-year-old party animal. Over the

years, she’s had lip fillers, Botox, liposuction, a nose job, two boob

jobs and then a boob reduction, as well as losing 3st and slimming

down from a size 16 to a size 8. And she now says she’s more

confident in her body than ever.

She adds, “I had no confidence

before. I lived an unhealthy lifestyle. I got my boobs done

because it was the trend – I wanted the biggest implants

they could put in. But getting my boob reduction and my implants

removed was the best thing I ever did. I didn’t need them and I feel

so much more confident now. I found a love for exercise and

fitness, which has been amazing for my mind and body.” With boyfriend Casey and son R ox

MARNIE:

‘I’ve quit surgery now I’m a mum’

She had her son Rox in October, and despite having had a boob

job, a nose job, Botox and fillers, Marnie Simpson has sworn off

any more surgery as motherhood has given her a new appreciation

for her body. She says, “I wouldn’t get surgery again. I think I’m past

that. When you’re growing a little human inside you, it’s like, ‘Wow,

this is what my body is for.’ All the stuff I used to worry about with

my body is a bit irrelevant now.

“I also think the fake look is going

out of fashion. Big lips are getting old. I like the natural look.”

Marnie wowed fans with her slim figure so soon after giving birth,

and says she’s back to a size 8, but she admits she didn’t consciously

try to shift the baby weight.

She says, “Losing weight wasn’t

a priority for me. I’ve been eating healthily, because I want to be

healthy for Rox. But I haven’t been in the gym or exercised

– it just happened naturally.” Marnie, 28, had Rox with

boyfriend-of-two-years Casey Johnson, with whom she starred

on Ex On The Beach . She reveals their relationship has intensified

since becoming parents.

She says, “I feel like we got so

much closer from the minute Rox was born. It’s such a journey you

go on together. I think we’ll get married soon in a small, intimate

Billie with husband Greg and their children Nelly and Arthur

SAM & BILLIE:

‘We’ll b e pr our thi r

The Faiers sisters tell Closer about plans to add to their families next year – and reveal why they keep The Mummy Diaries as real as possible

hey’ve amassed millions of fans with their parenting reality show The Mummy Diaries . And now that they’ve got to grips with life as mums-of-two, sisters Sam and Billie Faiers admit they’re already planning to add to their broods. T

STABLE PLACE Sam – mum to Paul Tony, four, and Rosie, two, with boyfriend Paul Knightley – says, “I definitely want more kids – Paul and I have always wanted a big family. Little Paul starts school

in September, we’re moving house, and

it’s my 30th this year,

‘I get criticised by paren ts – but I’ve learnt to ignore it’

INTERVIEW

PHOTOS: MATRIX MEDIA, INSTAGRAM, EROTEME e pregnan t with our thi rd babies together!’ most notably when Sam revealed her decision to their looks and insist that working out is more for their emotional wellbeing,

so I think after all that we will try. I want to be in a stable place to get pregnant – and I know Billie wants to wait, too.”

Billie – who’s mum to Nelly, five, and Arthur, two, with husband Greg Shepherd – adds, “Greg and I talk about it all the time. I definitely want another kid, but it won’t be just yet. We’ve just bought a house so that’s our project right now – maybe 2021. And hopefully the timing will work so that Sam and I can be pregnant together!” Sam, 29, and Billie, 30, shot to fame on Essex reality show TOWIE , with Sam in the original line up and sister Billie joining in series two. They launched The Mummy Diaries in 2016 to document their journey into motherhood and family life with their partners Paul and Greg. And Sam admits that sharing their family lives on camera has meant that they face parenting criticism regularly – co-sleep with daughter Rosie, while boyfriend Paul shares a bed with their son. She says, “We’re as real as we can be on our show. There’s never been a time we’ve stopped the cameras rolling or refused to film a scene. We just want to show what our lives are like, the highs and the lows.

“I’ll be criticised by parents –I got it a lot over m y decision with co-sleeping –but I realised that w as m y decision and I w as happy with m y decision, so I just learnt to ignore them all. W ith the criticism, y ou also get suppor t and people reaching out and sa ying, ‘ Thank y ou for speaking about it because I can relate’.” The sisters with their children and mum Sue Wells

QUALITY TIME Viewers watched Billie and Greg tie the knot in a lavish wedding in the Maldives last year with family and friends – including best pal Ferne McCann – attending the ceremony.

And Sam – who has been with Paul since 2014 – has previously said she’d love to get married one day, but admits now that she and Paul need to work on spending one-on-one time together.

She says, “I have to be honest – I do think Paul and I need to make more time for each other. When we go out, just us, it’s often to a red carpet event, full of other people, so it’s not intimate. Otherwise, it’s always us four – us and the children. Life goes by so fast, so I do think we should probably have a date night once every few weeks. We said we’d do a regular date night last year, but we never got round to it, so I think this year we will.” The stars – who have denied ever getting Botox or cosmetic work – say they’d never go under the knife to alter rather than vanity. Billie says, “I was never a gym person, but over the years I’ve realised that training made feel so much better. I feel so much happier after I’ve been to the gym. I definitely train for my mind, rather than vanity. Yes, it’s great when you feel good in an outfit, but the reason I’ve toned up is because I’ve found the great feeling that comes with exercise.” By Lily Smith

● The new series of The Mummy Diaries

starts on 26 February at 9pm on ITVBe

our view on...

COSMETIC WORK:

Sam says, “Looks aren’t as important wh en y ou b ecome a m um. W ith f illers an d s urgery, I d on’t t hink s ubtle t weaks ar e t he e nd o f t he w orld, a nd i t c an b e gr eat i f y ou i t m akes y ou f eel b etter. Bu t i t’s n ever s omething I ’d p romote and en courage pe ople t o ge t.”

BODY CONFIDENCE:

Billie says, “I train to feel good, but wh en y ou p ut o n o utfit o n a nd h ave lo st t hat b it o f we ight, i t d oes f eel gr eat. I h ate m y b elly, s o i t d oes f eel gr eat w hen I ’ve b een w orking o ut an d i t’s a b it m ore t oned.”

Showing off their amazing figures!