Rhian Sugden shares gender of her 'miracle' baby after spending £130k on IVF

30 January 2024 , 10:02

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Rhian Sugden shares gender of her 'miracle' baby after spending £130k on IVF

Rhian Sugden has shared her joy at expecting her first child with husband Oliver Mellor after eight tough rounds of IVF.

The couple announced their happy news in November, expressing their delight at finally becoming parents. Former Page 3 model, Rhian, 37, recently revealed that the couple are expecting a baby boy.

The pair, who tied the knot in 2018, have already prepared their son's nursery and are considering names, with Tommy and George being top contenders. Opening up about her unborn baby's gender reveal, Rhian has admitted that it's a 'dream come true' to be having a baby boy.

Rhian is over the moon to be welcoming a baby boy (instagram.com/rhiansuggers)

It's the first child for Rhian and husband Oliver Mellor, who is famous for starring in Corrie (Instagram)

"It was always my dream to have a little boy, I don't know why but I've always imagined having a mini football team," the star told Closer. Rhian is also thoroughly enjoying her pregnancy journey, admitting that it has helped to 'heal her pain' and she's already thinking about having a second child because she has loved her first pregnancy so much.

"I'm loving pregnancy so much. It feels like a miracle and helped to heal my pain. I've said to Oliver, 'I can't bear the thought that this is the last time I'm pregnant, we've got to go again'. I do want to try for IVF again to have a second baby. I'm not old by any means, but time is ticking is for me, so I'd want to start soon. I'd love to leave a gap but I can't afford to wait too long," she admitted.

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Rhian and Oliver have endured a tough and draining time trying to conceive a baby. The couple were told they only had a three percent chance of having a child naturally because Rhian's egg count was low. So, they went on to try IVF seven times over six years, spending £130,000, and almost lost hope.

However, on their eighth try in August 2023, the IVF worked and just nine days after the treatment, Rhian discovered she was pregnant.

Speaking to The Mirror at the time, 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.

Rhian has been documenting her pregnancy on social media (instagram.com/rhiansuggers)

Rhian is already hoping to have another child (Dave Benett/Getty Images for The Ivy Spinningfields)

"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."

Susan Knox