19 November 2023 , 19:41
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With the help of her OnlyFans funding, former Page 3 model Rhian Sugden is now expecting her first child with husband Oliver Mellor.
Her six-year journey has been filled with setbacks and Rhian has always been open about her fertility on her social media. It was only earlier this year that she shared her desperate hopes with The Mirror as she quipped "eighth time lucky".
Now the couple are officially set to become parents for the first time and Manchester-born Rhian admits she is "over the moon" with the news, adding that the couple's lives are "going to change". Rhian has previously stated that she believed the couple wouldn't have children.
Rhian has shared her journey all over social media (rhiansuggers/Instagram)
The couple have been open about their IVF (Aaron Parfitt / SplashNews.com)Initial heartbreak
In her early 30s, tests discovered that she had a low egg count and had perimenopausal hormone levels. It was in September 2019 that Rhian was left heartbroken when she was told her first round of IVF had not been successful.
At the time, she said: "What is it they say? You have to be your strongest when you are feeling your weakest. Shoutout to all my fertility warriors that have followed my journey."
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Doctors told her in April that year that her egg count had been similar to "a woman over 45". She explained: "I was told that I may never be a mum – and I’m heartbroken. It's unlikely I would ever conceive naturally.
"It also means the odds of getting pregnant by IVF have gone down from 30 per cent to two per cent – which was pretty devastating to hear."
'Brave face'
In 2021, after four attempts at getting pregnant through IVF, Rhian admitted she was struggling to "put on a brave face". Writing on social media at the time, she explained: "Been feeling blue. Had a hell of a tough few weeks.
"For those that have been following my journey… IVF round 4 failed but it's now time for me to pick myself up and carry on! Being in the public eye and trying to keep a brave face on is harder than it looks but I’ve done it many times before and I will do it again.
"It’s time to stick on my best undies, get myself back to normal and get back behind that camera doing what makes me happy! Big shout out to my support network. You’re the best! #ivfwarrior."
'Eighth time lucky'
In August, speaking to The Mirror, Rhian revealed: "We're in the middle of IVF at the moment. The eighth round, so who knows what the rest of the year is going to look like. Once you start talking about it loads of people get in touch which is quite nice because I've formed a little community of friends and we're all the same position. I've never met them in real life but we speak all the time on WhatsApp so that's quite nice.
"Eighth time lucky hopefully – that's why I've got OnlyFans, it's expensive, it's like £15,000 per go. We had one round free with the NHS but, the other seven, not so much," she said, "In the same breath, people will mum-shame me so to speak, even though I'm not a mum for being on OnlyFans," she revealed before adding: "Well if I'm not working, I can't afford this because it's extortionate.
"I feel lucky to be in a position where I can earn the money to pay for stuff like this. I'm not flashy, I don't drive around in a Range Rover or anything, my money is solely going on IVF at the moment." But since finding fame, Rhian considers posing for Page 3 has been the highlight of her career, saying: "Even though it's all non-PC now, back in the day when Page 3 girls were something to be aspired to – how weird is that, saying now.
"Looking back even further, people like Sam Fox and Linda Lusardi, girls loved all that so to be part of that timeline before it got shut down, I'm forever proud of that. It brought so many opportunities, I wouldn't have met my husband – it changed my life for the better."
Good news!
Their latest round of IVF took place in August this year, which she believed would not be successful. However, just nine days later, she took a pregnancy test which came back positive. "I was woken up by her calling out, 'Oh my God, I'm pregnant!'" Oliver told Hello magazine. The former Celebrity Big Brother star says she keeps taking pregnancy tests to "make sure".
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She added: "We were convinced it would never happen. But here we are, and we're thrilled." Taking to Instagram to share new her news, Rhian's fans were delighted for the star as one exclaimed: "OH MY GOD!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!" A second penned: "Congrats love!!" A third went on to type: "Congrats suggers!!!"
The star who found fame posing for Page 3 frequently shares her IVF journey with her online followers and now has a small support network who she's in constant contact with. But with her fame comes the relentless trolling from people who disagree with Rhian's line of work.