Olympia Valance says she ‘completely lost herself’ and neglected her career while struggling through miscarriages and IVF before falling pregnant with ‘miracle baby’

Olympia Valance said the time she became pregnant with her first child with her husband Thomas Bellchambers was a trial.

The Australian model and actress, who announced her pregnancy this weekend, had suffered several miscarriages and undergone IVF treatments before her ‘miracle child’ was born.

The 31-year-old tells in this week’s issue Stellar Magazine that she was so obsessed with having a child that she let her career slide.

“I spent four years thinking about babies. I completely lost myself,” the Neighbours star told the publication.

‘I didn’t know what I wanted in my career anymore. I wasn’t driven, because I was only thinking about this.’

Olympia says she was “exhausted” by the many miscarriages and gave up on IVF when she became pregnant again.

The star had just a few weeks left before she was due to get an IUD inserted when she got the good news.

She kept her pregnancy a secret on social media until this weekend, when she was 25 weeks pregnant and announced she was expecting a boy.

Olympia announced the happy pregnancy news on Saturday in an Instagram post, in which she spoke candidly about her fertility issues.

In photos shared to her social media, 35-year-old Thomas holds Olympia’s growing baby bump while holding a positive pregnancy test.

“I’ve been hiding for the past 5.5 months trying to make sure this wasn’t all a dream,” she began in her caption.

“But you just kept growing and growing and it’s starting to look like our dreams are finally coming true.”

“I have been as open and honest as I could about our struggles with infertility and I truly believed that this day would not be possible for us. So when I saw this positive pregnancy test, I have to admit that I did not jump for joy at that moment.

“I was filled with fear because that’s all I’ve ever known. But as the weeks went by, it became hard to wipe the smiles off our faces.”

The former Neighbours star told how excited she was about starting a family while also thanking her supporters who supported them through their ‘darkest days’.

“To the little one we never thought we’d meet, we can’t wait to hold you in our arms. You were worth every tear, every setback, and every prayer,” she continued.

“To all the people who supported us through the darkest days, thank you. I know I wouldn’t have gotten to this point without the strength of my family and friends who kept me going when I was falling apart.”

Olympia also paid tribute to families who have faced fertility issues or pregnancy loss.

“It’s also incredibly important for me to realize that while this is the best news in the world for Thomas and me, my heart breaks for everyone who saw this and felt pain,” she said.

‘It’s been so hard for me to write this because I feel like I’m stuck between two worlds. It’s not an easy road and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. It’s an emotional rollercoaster through hell.

“Stay strong, keep fighting, but most of all, don’t forget to be kind to yourself.”

In May, the former soap star said the lengthy IVF process had left her exhausted and she had hit rock bottom after a tragic miscarriage.

“My body was exhausted and my mind was exhausted,” she said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.

‘I’ve always been an outgoing, happy person and found myself becoming a recluse. I needed a complete reset.

In July 2023, Valance announced she had miscarried twins during the Covid pandemic and later that year she announced she had suffered a second miscarriage at six weeks pregnant.

“Thomas and I had a miscarriage of twins, in the middle of the corona crisis. You can imagine that was terribly painful,” she said in the fragment.

“We haven’t been able to get pregnant since then. That would have been two years of really trying,” the actress continued.

“For any woman or couple trying to conceive, there is no worse pain than looking at that negative pregnancy test every month. It breaks your heart in two.”

Olympia said she was reluctant to ‘try IVF’ because she ‘never did well with hormones’.

“Adding even more hormones to my wild cycle scares me to death,” she confessed, but said she did not see a fertility specialist.

“I want children and I will do everything to have them,” Olympia decided.

Olympia and footballer Thomas got married in June 2022.

The stars walked down the aisle and tied the knot in a picturesque ceremony in Daylesford, Victoria, attended by 250 family and friends.

The couple later enjoyed their honeymoon in Greece, where they were joined by their sister Holly Candy.

Olympia, who rose to fame when she joined Neighbours in 2014 as Paige Smith, and Tom got engaged in October 2021.

The couple started dating in June 2019 after meeting him through the exclusive dating app Raya.