Great British Bake Off star Laura Adlington has opened up about her torment after feeling "an enormous amount of shame" after doctors told her to lose weight in order to have IVF treatment.
Laura, 32, starred in the 2020 series of the hit Channel 4 baking show where she reached the final of the competition alongside Dave Friday and eventual winner Peter Sawkins.
Since her TV debut two years ago, Laura has been presenting the Go Love Yourself podcast alongside best friend Lauren Smith where they discuss a range of topics.
To kick off season two of the podcast, which was released on Monday, the friends opened up about eating disorders with Laura speaking about her experiences in regards to restrictions in a number of services due to her weight and BMI.
One of those services was IVF treatment as Laura hopes to one day raise a family of her own, but can't use them due to her weight.
Laura said: "The cut off point for IVF is BMI over 30, so she [the doctor] was like you’re probably looking at about 14 stone that needs to come off. And I was just sat there like, okay…
"We couldn’t do it, because I just couldn’t [lose] the weight…and I still feel an enormous amount of shame about that…I know I’ll live to regret it."
The best friends also spoke about adoption and how your BMI is a factor in the process and some local authorities reject applications due to this.
Laura said: "Let’s be realistic, if your weight seriously affects your health, [to the extent] that you cannot physically look after a child, fine. I get that. You should want the best for that child.
"It’s just ridiculous. It doesn’t make any sense to me when there are loads of kids out there who need a loving home, which we could provide in abundance.
"Is that not weight stigma at its finest? That’s like saying to someone, sorry, you can’t adopt because you might get dementia. Sorry, you can’t adopt because you might be in a car crash in five years…it’s just fatphobia at its absolute best."
Lauren added: "There seems to be this emphasis on weight when it comes to fertility. It should be any health condition."
The Great British Bake Off finalist launched the podcast earlier this year in order to "help people of all shapes and sizes feel good about themselves and talks honestly and openly about mental health and body image", according to her website.
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