Lisa Riley has been told she’s "unlikely" to ever get pregnant.
The 41-year-old actress – whose partner Al prefers to stay out of the spotlight – has undergone a year of fertility tests and was told by medics that the quality of her eggs are so poor, she has virtually no chance of conceiving so the couple have decided to call a halt to their dream of having a child.
She said: "My body was being pumped full of hormones to get my egg readings, and in the end they weren’t good. It messes with your head and I just couldn’t do that to myself any more.
"The past few months have been really hard, emotionally draining, and we just decided that enough was enough. I tried it, I gave it a go and it didn’t work."
The ‘Loose Women’ presenter – who has shed a staggering 12st – thinks she’s made the right decision by focusing on life with her partner.
She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Finding out that I was unlikely to get pregnant was a blow. But I refuse to be defined by that.
"People think women need to have a child to complete themselves, but that just isn’t the case.
"I feel that I have taken ownership of the situation now. I have seen other people go through years and years of IVF treatment and the stress and pressure that creates.
"I don’t want to do that. We have decided now that we aren’t going to go down that route, and now that we have made that decision I could not be happier.
"I want to concentrate on living my best life and not be a slave to what society thinks I should be.
"I don’t want people to look at me like an unfinished painting because I don’t have a child.
"Collectively as women we do need to stand strong on this."
And Lisa also feels fulfilled by being an aunt to her nephews, and also has a niece on the way.
She said: "My brother and his wife already have two little boys and are having their third child. They have just found out it is a little girl and we are all absolutely thrilled. I absolutely adore being an auntie and I don’t need a child of my own to complete my picture.
"Now that I have wiped the slate clean and drawn a line under it, I am completely at peace with it and I am 100% happy."
Lisa Riley unlikely to conceive
