Adwoa Aboah felt "shame" when she had a termination earlier this year.
The 25-year-old model admitted it was an "awful" experience but she feels "lucky" that she was able to make her own decision not to continue with her pregnancy, and has vowed to fight so other women are in the same position.
She told the latest issue of Harper’s Bazaar magazine: "It was awful and I wouldn’t want it to happen to me again.
"But, if I took any positive thing from it, it was that I must do all I can to fight for women’s rights.
"It was my decision and I was lucky enough to be able to make that decision.
"I also felt a huge amount of shame. It didn’t come from family or friends, I wasn’t brought up in a household where abortion was frowned upon.
"So I had to question where that shame came from. And it was societal."
Adwoa – who is dating Riccardo Ambrosio – has spoken openly about her mental health issues and suicide attempt in the past, but these days she is able to remind herself of how grateful she is for how far she’s come and how proud she is for seizing her opportunities.
She said: "Whenever I feel exhausted or fed up, there’s a very strong sense of gratitude for all the opportunities that have come my way and a huge amount of pride that I have for myself.
"I didn’t have that before. Now, I get up in the morning and I’m there for my friends, I’m there for my sister, I’m there for my mum and dad and family. So all of that is life-changing in terms of where I was."
Adwoa Aboah felt ‘shame’ over termination
