Harry Judd says fertility problems pushed marriage to the limit before 'miracle'
McFly drummer and Celebrity Race Across the World star Harry Judd candidly revealed how fertility problems pushed his marriage to the limit.
The 34-year-old, who is taking part in this year’s Race Across the World with his mum, spoke openly about his and wife Izzy’s struggle to conceive, and admitted the strain on their relationship almost ripped them apart. The couple got hitched in a star-studded ceremony in 2012, and soon after, they began trying for a baby. However, Izzy was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which can lead to "difficulty getting pregnant as a result of irregular ovulation or no ovulation", according to the NHS.
The classical musician underwent fertility treatment, and did everything she could to increase her chances of having a baby, including adhering to a strict diet which cut out sugar, caffeine and gluten. The couple then opted to undergo IVF. In-vitro fertilisation (IVF) involves eggs being collected from the womb and fertilised by sperm, and then put back into the uterus - called an embryo transfer – with IVF cycles taking around 3-4 weeks. Harry and Izzy had one successful round of IVF that sadly ended in miscarriage after seven weeks, and he revealed it had a huge impact on their marriage.
Izzy fell pregnant with Lola after IVF, and miraculously conceived son Kit naturally (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Entertainment One)
The couple were almost torn apart by infertility struggles (Dave Benett/Getty Images)“Izzy so desperately wanted to be a mother and so as soon as we realised there was a problem, it took over her life,” he told Fabulous magazine. “The dynamic changed because all the focus was on getting pregnant and in a way I lost her a little bit. I lost that smiley, confident, beautiful wife.” Harry said he felt helpless seeing his wife in “absolute despair” while they were in the honeymoon phase of their marriage. “Our wedding had been the happiest day of our lives – cut to a year later and she's in absolute despair.
“I remember after two years thinking: ‘God, we haven't even had a kid and already I'm sick of this.‘ It was constant but I felt I couldn't get frustrated at her,” Harry explained. Luckily, Izzy became pregnant after another round of IVF, and she welcomed their daughter Lola in 2016. Izzy then miraculously fell pregnant naturally just a year later, and their son Kit was born in 2017. The musician wrote her book Dare to Dream, which documents her IVF struggles and infertility problems, and she confessed there was “no romance left” as they desperately tried to conceive.
'I started my business with £50 at uni - now it's a multi-million pound empire'
They're now proud parents to son Lockie, who Izzy welcomed in 2021 (Aptamil)“With all the 'doing it' to make sure we hit the ovulation window, at first Harry couldn't believe his luck! But then sex became so routine and functional. Suddenly, there's no fun, no joy, no flirting and no romance left,” she told new! magazine. Izzy has previously praised how “magical” IVF has been for her and Harry, and said it had helped them start the family they longed for. “We thought we would get pregnant after we got married and it didn't work out that way. In the end we did turn to IVF and I'm so grateful that we did,” she told Lorraine.
In 2021, the couple welcomed son Lockie. After welcoming their third tot, Izzy told OK! magazine: “There were moments we thought we wouldn’t even be able to have one child, so to have three, I feel as though we’re very lucky.”
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
