21 April 2023 , 23:01
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Joanna Page has admitted she regretted getting her tubes tied in an "impulsive" decision as she wanted another baby.
The Gavin and Stacey star, 46, decided to undergo the procedure after having her fourth child aged 44.
Yet after making the decision, the actress found herself thinking it was a "waste" and wanted another baby.
Despite revealing she would "love a fifth baby", Joanna feels it would not be fair on her children and feels she is "too old".
The BAFTA-winning actress shares Eva, ten, Kit, seven, Noah, six, and Boe, 16 months, with her Emmerdale husband James Thornton.
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Joanna admitted she wanted a fifth baby ((C)2023 DAN KENNEDY)"When I was having my third, my obstetrician asked me about contraception plans and I said, 'I'm having a baby, I'll probably not have sex for ever'," she told Woman & Home magazine.
"After Boe, the same obstetrician asked again and I'm quite impulsive so I said, ''OK, you can cut my tubes'.
"Then, last month, as soon as I had my first period, I thought, 'What a waste! I want another baby'."
The Welsh actress added: "Deep down, I know that should be it. I'm too old now and it's not fair on the others, but it's the finality."
Husband James has also expressed he isn't keen on reversing the procedure.
The NHS say female sterilisation is an operation to permanently prevent pregnancy.
The fallopian tubes are blocked or sealed to prevent the eggs from reaching the sperm and becoming fertilised, with a 99% effective rate.
However, it cannot be easily reversed and reversal operations are rarely funded by the NHS.
The Gavin and Stacey star has four children
She is married to Emmerdale star James Thornton (Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)Joanna married James in 2003, who is best known for playing Emmerdale's John Barton from 2009 to 2012 and made an initial appearance in 1995.
The couple appeared together in a BBC adaptation of the Charles Dicken novel David Copperfield in 1999, four years before they got married.
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The mini-series also starred Harry Potter icons, Daniel Radcliffe and Maggie Smith.
Back in 2014, Joanna said: "James is one of four so to him, four children is the norm."
Joanna admitted that lockdown hadn't been without its challenges, saying: "We spent the whole of the first lockdown arguing and threatening to divorce each other.
"Then we went through a month of literally not saying a single word to each other."
The June issue of Woman & Home is on sale on Thursday.