Great British Bake Off star Laura Adlington has given birth to her first child, a son named George, after a long fertility journey. The 36-year-old, who reached the final of the Channel 4 competition in 2020, announced the news on Instagram on Thursday, describing the baby as a 'miracle' after 'nine years of wishing'.
Adlington and her husband Matt welcomed George in hospital, with the new mother sharing sweet photos of the family. 'After 9 years of wishing and 9 months of waiting – our little miracle is finally here, safe in our arms,' she wrote. The podcast host added that they were 'doing really well' and would be 'disappearing into the newborn bubble'.
The body confidence influencer had previously detailed her fertility struggles, including being told to lose 14 stone to qualify for IVF on the NHS. She revealed in April that she had become pregnant after a successful round of IVF at The Lister Fertility Clinic in London, which did not impose an upper BMI limit.
Adlington spoke out against the NHS in May, claiming she was 'fat-shamed' by medical professionals during her fertility treatment. She described the experience as 'dreadful', stating that BMI was used as an 'excuse' to deny her treatment. The NHS uses BMI to assess eligibility for IVF, with a healthy range considered 18.5 to 24.9, but the measure has been criticised for its limitations.
Adlington said she and Matt had 'quietly given IVF a try' about a year and a half ago, after initially making peace with the possibility they might not have children. They experienced an unsuccessful round and a cancelled round before finally conceiving. 'We honestly can't believe our luck,' she said at the time.
