Bake Off’s Laura Adlington reveals she was told to lose 14st to have a child

Laura Adlington has revealed that she was told she would have to lose the 14th to conceive and has now decided she will not have children.

The 33-year-old Great British Bake Off star spent three years trying to conceive with husband Matt before doctors said her only chance was to try IVF and that she would have to lose weight to qualify.

Speak with Fantastic magazineShe said, “Unless you’ve gone through infertility and that heartache of really wanting it and it’s not happening. . . it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever been through.’

Laura also said she struggled with her mental health during this time and her inability to conceive was exacerbated by many of her friends welcoming babies.

The star, who appeared in the Channel 4 show’s 2020 series, shared how she’d always wanted to be a mother and thought ‘what’s the point?’ if she couldn’t have a child.

She said, ‘I never thought, ‘I want to kill myself,’ but I certainly had thoughts that I didn’t want to be here anymore. And I’ve called Samaritans a few times and that has helped me a lot.’

Laura said she was trying to lose weight after talking to her doctors and even considering bariatric surgery before deciding it wasn’t for her.

Couple: The 33-year-old Great British Bake Off star tried to conceive with husband Matt for three years before doctors said her only chance was to try IVF and she would have to lose the weight first to qualify

The star, who has struggled with her weight since she was eight, found it difficult to lose that much to get the IVF.

She said: ‘It was so much to lose – about 14th and I just struggled to do that. I wonder if that will always be on my mind, especially as I get older.’

Laura thanks her participation in Bake Off and reaching the final by helping her through this difficult period.

However, since leaving the show, Laura has been faced with cruel comments from internet trolls.

Laura said, “Unless you’ve gone through infertility and that heartache of really wanting it and it’s not happening. . . it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever been through’

Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood previously defended her against the brutal hostage-taking, writing on Instagram: “I’ve heard some sad people are trolling Laura, it’s disgusting behavior.”

The baker believes that more should be done to ‘protect’ people online and that internet users can too easily contact people they do not know.

Laura said she prefers the time childfree over “childless” and believes there are a number of positives to not having children, including that her time and her money are hers.

For help, call Samaritans toll-free on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org

Heartbreaking: Laura also said she struggled with her mental health during this time and that not being able to conceive was exacerbated by many of her friends who welcomed babies