Michelle Heaton says her children inspired her to sacrifice her "womanhood".
The 34-year-old star has made the "heartbreaking " decision to undergo a full hysterectomy in an attempt to prevent ovarian cancer, and despite the tough situation she insisted it is something she has do for Faith, two, and five-month-old son Aaron Jay.
Speaking to The Sun newspaper, she said: "A hysterectomy is not just about giving up the chance for children – it’s about giving up my womanhood.
"It’s giving up everything about me, everything inside me – my breast tissue, my Fallopian tubes. Everything that’s going to go is everything that sets me apart from a man.
"It’s a heartbreaking and life-changing decision. Every time I look at my kids, I know why I’m doing this, so I’m around and there’s no risk of ever leaving them without a mum.
The former ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ and ‘The Big Reunion’ star – who carries a mutated BRCA2 gene, giving her a 40 per cent chance of getting cancer – admitted she didn’t want to wait until it was too late to make a decision.
She added: "I don’t have time on my side. It’s a waiting game and I’m not a gambling woman.
"Do I tempt fate? Do I play roulette and wait and see what happens? Then in four years I’m not around for the two beautiful children I do have.
"I wouldn’t be around to face the consequences but my husband [Hugh Hanley] would blame himself for not egging me on to have this procedure."
Michelle Heaton having hysterectomy for her children
