The Traitors star Leanne Quigley, who after a nail-biting climax won the hit BBC One show last month alongside Jake Brown, has revealed her exciting plans for more children through IVF with her fiancee, Sophie Brown – undeterred, despite the couple’s traumatic experiences when twins Harley and Hudson, now 2, were born prematurely, and spent months fighting for their lives.
Arm veteran Leanne, 28, opening up during an exclusive shoot with OK! When she also discussed her partner’s agonizing breast cancer battle and the relief that she has finally received the all-clear, Leanne revealed that they will try again, “probably next year” after they tie the knot with Leanne’s fellow Traitors and host Claudia Winkleman on the guest list at their North Wales home.
Leanne claims she would “love a little girl” and plans to use some of her profits from The Traitors to fund additional IVF. “We’ll have a rest, first – maybe we’ll start IVF after our wedding. Meanwhile, we’ll get my eggs frozen – Sophie’s eggs aren’t viable after her cancer treatment, which put her into early menopause. We’re so lucky we used Sophie’s eggs two years ago for the boys”. Asked if they will stop at a potential three, Sophie nods firmly, Leanne confesses, “The thing is, I don’t like odd numbers – maybe we should have four…”
Leanne, who carried non-identical twins Harley and Hudson using Sophie’s eggs and donor sperm, explained she was ‘ very lucky ‘ to fall pregnant at the first attempt. I requested both embryos because it was believed that the latter was “low grade”; I really didn’t believe it would work. Sophie admits she couldn’t stop laughing at their first scan despite being expecting twins. “I was like, ‘ Leanne, this is all your fault! ‘ But we wouldn’t change things for the world. The best thing ever was having twin mothers.
However, as Leanne admits, the boys ‘ entry into the world and the whirlwind months that followed were ‘ terrifying’. The twins ‘ arrived unexpectedly on January 9 2023, 26 weeks early, at a local hospital while Sophie and Leanne were in Nottingham for Leanne’s mum’s birthday. Leanne admits, the whole thing is still a blur. “I told Sophie I was feeling these strange ‘ tightenings’. I was informed that my chest was 4 cm dilated when I realized we were in need of an emergency C-section. I just went numb”.
Sophie adds. “I remember crying, thinking, ‘ Are they going to make it? ‘ The doctors were saying, ‘ If they do survive the birth, they could have all these disabilities. ‘ We couldn’t take it in”. When they were born, weighing just 1b 14 oz each, both babies ‘ amniotic sacs were still intact. As soon as they burst, doctors scrambled to save them from various complications, ranging from heart-caused bleeds to brain bleeds.
“I didn’t initially recognise them as my babies”, confesses Leanne. “They looked like fully-formed humans but their eyes were fused shut, their fingers webbed. It was surreal”. To keep them warm and moist, Sophie says, “They were put in a carrier bag in front of me.” “I was like, ‘ What’s going on? ‘ It was like a nightmare because you wanted it to be your life’s best experience.
After three months, the twins were given access to their own oxygen tanks and later transported to Birmingham for specialist care, but even then, there were terrifying experiences. “Nighttimes were awful”, admits Leanne. “I always worried they’d stop breathing. I have a blood oxygen level of 65%, which is dangerously low for one baby’s SATS, and I’m convinced that it saved their lives when I purchased my own SATs.
Nowadays, their little ones are thriving, with hospital check-ups every other month – though Hudson occasionally returns for oxygen treatment, as his lungs are particularly weak. “They’re amazing”, beams Leanne. “So fun and happy. They’ve no idea how hard they had to fight to survive”.
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Source: Mirror
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