Emmerdale star Gemma Oaten has discovered she may not be able to have children after battling an eating disorder.
The 38-year-old actor, who appeared on the ITV soap until 2015, admitted during a recent interview that she’s uncertain whether she can have children even though she’s been well for 15 years.
Oaten battled anorexia and bulimia from the age of just 10. She has admitted in the past that the illness almost killed her.
Speaking with Carol Vorderman on the latest installment of Lorraine, the actor opened up about her recent health struggles as she tried to raise awareness of the long-term impacts of eating disorders.
Oaten said she had suffered several health issues and had recently been rushed to hospital where she was diagnosed with Milk-alkali syndrome.
She learned from medics that it had been caused by a build-up of calcium carbonates from having too many indigestion tablets, which she had been taking after dealing with bulimia.
“Even though I’ve been well for 15 years, this last year I found out I don’t know whether I can have children, [and] I had the Milk-alkali syndrome because I was trying to do something I thought was right but it wasn’t,” Oaten said.
The actor, who played Rachel Breckle in Emmerdale, said she was also due to undergo major dental surgery because her teeth were falling out.
Listing her health issues during the candid conversation, Oaten explained that her aim is to make sure other people don’t go through what she’s now facing.
The soap star added: “It’s such a difficult and toxic illness to battle – it’s a mental health illness. A lot of people think it’s about vanity and social media – it’s not, it’s about human beings struggling with pain.”
