Celebrities who’ve struggled to conceive – 10 shared stories
Banner image source: The Hollywood Reporter
The public conversation around infertility – and alternative paths to parenthood – is shifting, thanks to people who’ve chosen to share their stories, and advocate for change. Say what you like about celebrities, their raised voices and range of experience help to chip away at stigma – and remind anyone on a journey that they’re not alone.
Keep reading for our round-up of celebrity infertility stories that have resonated most, across the last few years. Out of real life difficulty and struggle, these have offered many of us comfort, perspective and a renewed sense of hope.
Of course, it’s important to acknowledge that celebrities often have access to financial resources and treatment options that aren’t available to everyone. The pressure of funding this journey is very real for many families. But while circumstances may differ, the emotional landscape – the uncertainty, grief, hope and resilience – can feel strikingly similar.
Kristen Wiig and fiancé Avi Rothman step out with their twins https://t.co/FBGkJccQcl pic.twitter.com/uuF0Lg9J68
— Page Six (@PageSix) June 18, 2020
Kristen Wiig and Avi Rothman
In January, actor Kristen Wiig, 47, and her fiancé Avi Rothman, 42, welcomed twins via surrogacy.
Known for being private, avoiding the press and social media, keeping major life events under wraps, Kristen has rarely shared personal details publicly. But she chose to open up about her infertility journey in an interview with InStyle:
“As private as I am and as sacred as this all is, what helped me was reading about other women […] and talking to those who have gone through IVF and fertility stuff. It can be the most isolating experience. But I’m trying to find that space where I can keep my privacy and also be there for someone else who may be going through it.”
Kristen described the past three years with Avi as an “IVF haze”, emotionally, spiritually and medically, it was “probably the most difficult time in my life. I wasn’t myself.”
She spoke candidly about her fears for her relationship, her initial determination to carry her babies herself, ultimately turning to surrogacy, and finding “the most amazing surrogate.” Stories like Kristen’s help those trying to conceive feel less alone, offering honesty, empathy, and hope.
Exploring surrogacy? Read our brand-new surrogacy starter for 10, explaining how it works, and what to expect.
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Emma Thompson and Greg Wise
After undergoing IVF to conceive her daughter Gaia, who was born in 1999, actor Emma Thompson and her husband Greg Wise went on to experience several unsuccessful IVF cycles while trying for another child.
In 2003, following years of fertility treatment and heartbreak, the couple expanded their family in a different way. They adopted their second child, Tindyebwa Agaba Wise – a refugee and former child soldier from Rwanda – when he was 16 years old.
Greg later spoke about the emotional toll of fertility treatment in an interview with the Daily Mail in 2014, describing IVF as “a brutal process […] and very emotional.”
Emma has also reflected on the lingering impact of infertility. In a 2010 interview reported by The Telegraph, she shared: “For years I counted people’s children in the street and thought I’d never recover. But you do, of course.”
Her honesty about the grief, and the healing that eventually followed, continues to resonate with many people navigating fertility struggles.
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Chrissy Teigen and John Legend
Model Chrissy Teigen, 34, has been one of the most outspoken voices when it comes to normalizing conversations around fertility. In a 2015 interview with Tyra Banks on FABLife, she urged people to rethink the questions they ask, saying: “‘So, when are the kids coming?’ Because who knows what somebody’s going through?”
After several years of trying to conceive, Chrissy shared a heartfelt update with her followers in October 2015, announcing that she and her husband, John Legend, 41, were expecting their first child:
*“As many of you know, we’ve been trying to have a baby for a while now. It hasn’t been easy, but we kept trying because we can’t wait to bring our first child into the world and grow our family. We’re so excited that it’s finally happening.”
Chrissy Teigen conceived both her children – Luna and Miles – through IVF and has been extremely open with her story, vagina steamer and all!
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In another Instagram post, Chrissy introduced the couple’s second baby, Miles, to her followers. When one commenter asked whether he had been conceived via IVF, others were quick to criticise the question, but Chrissy stepped in to defend it, replying: “I wasn’t offended by it. People are just curious and I think hearing success stories gives people hope. I’m all for talking about IVF.”
We really appreciated it. Chrissy’s openness has made her story one of the most relatable and reassuring out there.
In an interview with The Cut, she spoke candidly about the emotional toll of IVF: “You hear stories about IVF working the first try. But you’ll hear a lot more stories about when it takes a few times. Ours didn’t work the first time, and it was devastating […]”
She also touched on the self-blame that can creep in when things don’t go to plan: “When it didn’t work, I remember thinking, Oh, I was on my feet too much, and that’s why. You just look for anything to blame, especially yourself.”
Her honesty cuts through the noise, reminding people that there’s no single way to experience IVF, and no “right” way to feel. It’s why stories like hers matter so much.
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Tyra Banks and Erik Asla
During her interview with Chrissy Teigen, TV personality, entrepreneur and former supermodel Tyra Banks also opened up about her own experience with infertility.
In 2015, Tyra told PEOPLE that she had repeatedly postponed having children while focusing on building her career. “Business is very entrepreneurial. I’m not for hire, so I have to do everything.”
Reflecting on turning 40, she added: “When I turned 40, the one thing I was not happy about is that I did not have kids. I’m like, ‘Damn, the clock is ticking!’”
After years of trying to conceive and going through seven unsuccessful IVF cycles, Tyra and her partner Erik Asla eventually welcomed their son, York, via surrogacy in January 2016.
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Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden
It’s thought that actor Cameron Diaz, 47, and Benji Madden of rock band Good Charlotte explored varied options on their path to parenthood, from IVF to acupuncture and supplements, before welcoming their baby in December of last year via surrogacy.
Cameron announced the birth of their daughter, Raddix Madden, on Instagram in early January, sharing a short statement explaining that she and Benji “feel a strong instinct to protect our little one’s privacy” and therefore “won’t be posting pictures or sharing any details, other than that she is really really cute”.
Very little has been publicly confirmed about how the couple conceived. However, a source told US Weekly that they had been trying for a baby for around five years, after marrying in 2015.
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Jaime King and Kyle Newman
After five miscarriages, five rounds of IVF and 26 rounds of IUI, model and actor Jaime King, 41, conceived her first child, James Knight Newman, naturally in 2013. She later welcomed her second son, Leo Thames Newman, in 2015.
Jaime, who has PCOS and endometriosis, spoke about her fertility journey in a 2015 interview with PEOPLE. She explained that she had kept her struggles private for a long time, but eventually decided to open up after realising how many others were facing similar experiences.
Now, she says she regularly hears from women going through the same challenges. “If I’m open about it,” King explained, “hopefully it won’t be so taboo to talk about it.”
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West
Media personality Kim Kardashian, 39, has faced a high-risk pregnancy complication known as placenta accreta, a condition where the placenta attaches deeply into the uterine wall, making it difficult to remove during birth.
In a candid blog post on her website (since taken down), Kim described the experience after giving birth to her first child, North West: “My doctor had to stick his entire arm in me and detach the placenta with his hand, scraping it away from my uterus with his fingernails. My mom was crying, she had never seen anything like this before […] It was the most painful experience of my life.”
Kim gave birth to her first two children naturally, but she told C Magazine (September 2015 issue) that conceiving her second child, Saint West, was “a long road” due to complications from the condition. The same painful sequence occurred during Saint’s birth, leading Kim to pursue surrogacy for their third and fourth children.
During a 2018 episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kim opened up about her initial fears about bonding with their third child, Chicago West, born via surrogacy. She admitted she worried she wouldn’t connect with Chicago in the same way as her other children but reflected: “It was the same exact feeling. There was no weird feeling that I was so nervous about. That was instantly a relief for me […] I just feel lucky that I’ve had such a good experience with surrogacy.”
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Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick
In 2009, Sarah Jessica Parker, 55, and her husband Matthew Broderick, 58, announced they were expecting twins via surrogate. The couple already had a son but had found it difficult to become pregnant again.
After the birth of their first child, the couple struggled to expand their family naturally. In 2009, they shared the news that they were expecting twins through surrogacy.
Before deciding on this path, Parker told Access Hollywood that she and Broderick had “been trying to expand our family for a number of years and we actually have explored a variety of ways of doing so.”
The couple recently celebrated 23 years together.
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Anne Hathaway and Adam Shulman
When pregnant with her second baby, actor Anne Hathaway, 37, used the moment to acknowledge her own experience with fertility struggles. Sharing a message with her followers, she wrote:
“For everyone going through infertility and conception hell, please know it was not a straight line to either of my pregnancies. Sending you extra love ”
When you’re trying to conceive, social media can sometimes feel like an endless stream of gender reveals and growing baby bumps. It’s a reminder of how important it is to curate your feed. Stick to accounts that support and resonate with you during this phase of your journey (and gently mute those that don’t).
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Brooke Shields and Chris Henchy
Actor Brooke Shields, 55, underwent surgery on her cervix to remove pre-cancerous cells, which later made it difficult for her to become pregnant.
Brooke shared the emotions she experienced while trying to conceive in her memoir, Down Came the Rain. “Everyone around me was getting pregnant,” she wrote. “I was starting to feel bitter.”
Reflecting on how consuming the process became, she added: “What starts out as a dream becomes a project that’s all-consuming – everywhere you look, women are pregnant, and every song on the radio seems like it’s all about being pregnant! It becomes a very frustrating, frightening place.”
Brooke went on to try artificial insemination and IVF, and also experienced a miscarriage, before eventually welcoming her daughter Rowan Francis Henchy in 2003 and her second daughter Grier Hammond Henchy in 2006.
