Former Miss World Rosanna Davison has said that she has invited her Ukrainian surrogate to Ireland and that she is “sick with worry" for her safety.
The Dublin-based mum of three, had her first child Sophia in 2019 via a surrogate from the Ukrainian city of Kherson that came under horrific shelling before it finally fell to the Russian army this week.
The former Miss World, daughter of singer Chris de Burgh, said that she had been in contact with the woman but she was very worried for her safety.
Rosanna told the Irish Mirror : “I’ve been demented and sick with worry, seeing the situation getting worse.
“I feel very protective of her, I’ve invited her to come live with us.”
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Rosie, 37, along with businessman husband Wes, 38, has offered the surrogate sanctuary in Ireland for her and her own daughter.
She said: “I said to her that we will give her a place to live with her daughter that’s safe. We’ll look after her, and she can see Sophia again.
“I’ve been messaging her constantly checking if she’s safe and if her building been bombed. She said there’s shooting going on all around her, she can hear bombs going off.
“They’re running out of food, she’s hemmed in on all sides and she can’t get out. I’m very upset – I’m in bits over it. We owe everything to her.
Their surrogate is like family to Rosanna and Wes, who feel Sophia is part Ukrainian.
They want her to share their home in Cabinteely, Dublin, where they live with Sophia and her younger twin brothers, Oscar and Hugo, who were born a year later by natural birth to Rosie.
Rosanna is hoping to lead the way in urging more families to help Ukrainian refugees.
It comes as 100 Irish families agreed to welcome displaced Ukrainian families from the war-torn country. Up to 20,000 refugees will need sanctuary here.
She said: “We’re lucky we have Sophia here, we don’t have to go back to Ukraine. There are Irish parents expecting babies in the next few weeks, it’s a really severely traumatic time for them and for the surrogates and their families.
“I can only give our experience up to this point. We’re worried - but obviously our surrogate’s situation is far more worrying for her. It’s too horrifying for words.”
Rosanna said she is donating all she can, saying offering her surrogate a safe house is the next natural step.
She said: “I’ve been donating money to organisations on the ground like Unicef Ireland. I’ve donated baby supplies and nappies to another organisation. It’s hard to know what to do, beyond that.
“So I thought at least I can offer her a safe place to live in, who knows what will happen to Ukraine. To give her the option at least so she knows she has somewhere safe to come to.
“We just don’t think at this point she will be able to leave the city, as it’s surrounded on all sides by the Russian military and it was confirmed today that Russia has officially taken over her city.
“She said to me yesterday she was very scared but they were safe and there was a lot of gunfire outside and a lot of commotion. She said there was still running water and electricity but she doesn’t know for how long it will be there and food is starting to run out.
“Things are worsening where she is. Charity supplies aren’t getting into Ukraine in the same way anymore. We’re so concerned about her, she is the woman who gave birth to Sophia, if something happened to her, we’d be absolutely devastated.
“Sophia developed in the womb in this city, that’s how close it is for us. If it wasn’t for her we wouldn’t have Sophia."
Rosanna is proud that people are opening their hearts and homes in solidarity with the besieged Ukrainian people.
“The next step will be to take in Ukrainian refugees and do what we can as part of Europe," she said.
“We all need to step up and do what we can. The Ukrainians are good people and they want to lead a peaceful life as much as we do in Ireland.
“It’s such a desperately sad situation for everyone and myself and Wes are heartbroken. Ukraine is part of Sophia’s history, it’s where she was born, we grew so fond of Kyiv as a city.
“It’s horrifying having spent a lot of time there a few years ago."
