Gemma Collins claims she’s ‘reversed’ her PCOS and can strive for a child

Gemma Collins has claimed that she’s reversed her Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and will start to try for a baby with her fiancé Rami Hawash this September.

The former TOWIE star, 43, has told how her new diet guru Steve Bennett has helped ‘cure’ her after years of fertility struggles.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common condition that affects how a woman’s ovaries work. It can mean a woman has difficulty getting pregnant as a result of irregular ovulation or no ovulation.

But now Steve, who has released a new book called The Fibre First diet, has transformed her lifestyle and helped her drop from a size 26 to 20 – which in turn she has claimed ‘cured’ her condition.

She told MailOnline: ‘Since working with Steve, he has reversed my PCOS, I no longer have it so I’m a step closer to having a baby. 

‘I went to a fertility clinic and obviously, I was going to start my fertility journey in September but I’m not sure I need to do fertility now because hopefully I can do it naturally, plus my thyroid is doing better – I have no under active thyroid anymore. 

‘People have bullied me about my weight, they bullied me about it so badly for years and it’s like, I can’t help it, I am active… 

‘But now I don’t need to do vigorous exercise, this is the first diet where you’re adding and not subtracting.’

Steve added: ‘With PCOS the number one cause is a dysregulation of sugar and putting fibre first helps Gemma to regulate the sugar intake and therefore that would be the logical step to removing PCOS.’

Gemma has suffered with PCOS since she was 28 years old – which is when she started to gain weight.

The NHS states that PCOS cannot be cured, but the symptoms can be managed.

In overweight women, the symptoms and overall risk of developing long-term health problems from PCOS can be greatly improved by losing excess weight.

Weight loss of just 5 per cent can lead to a significant improvement in PCOS.

Gemma has been open about past fertility struggles and has previously suffered three miscarriages. 

She suffered her first heartbreaking loss in 2012, finding the strength to speak out about it publicly eight years later in 2020. 

The reality star did not realise she was pregnant at the time, said that the baby ‘died in front of her’ after giving birth at home on her landing.

Gemma suffered her second pregnancy loss in 2020 during the Covid pandemic. 

Tragically, just a few months later, Gemma endured a third devastating miscarriage in July 2020 after falling pregnant with her ex-boyfriend James Argent‘s baby. 

In a poignant essay at the time, Gemma detailed the beginning of her miscarriage and said she had no idea she was pregnant with on-off boyfriend Arg’s baby, before she started experiencing sharp cramps one morning.

The reality star said she had dismissed the pains as a heavy period, and tried to push on through the excruciating pain, before her sister forced her to visit her doctor.

After being sent to hospital, Gemma was given the tragic news that she had suffered a miscarriage.

She said: ‘In a single instant, I learned that I’d been carrying a baby and lost it, meaning that once again I found my longstanding dreams of motherhood shattered into pieces.’

Gemma refuses to give up on her dream of becoming a mother and that she thinks about the miscarriage ‘every day.’ 

She previously detailed her battle with polycystic ovary syndrome battle (PCOS) which can affect fertility. 

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a hormonal disorder causing enlarged ovaries with small cysts on the outer edges. Symptoms include menstrual irregularity, excess hair growth, acne, and obesity.

Earlier this year she was praying for a baby with her fiancé Rami. She is stepmother to his son Tristan.

Gemma recently said she was pleased to hear that Tana Ramsay had welcomed her sixth child at the age of 49, giving her hope that she, too, can conceive in her 40s.

She told MailOnline: ‘The Tana Ramsay news was the greatest thing to wake up to. Incredible.

‘It really made me think positively about my future and kind of took the pressure off. I don’t think anyone knew she was pregnant, so it was a lovely surprise, but I got butterflies in my stomach when I saw it.

‘This is amazing news for me. I’m starting my fertility journey within the next couple of weeks. I’m going to a clinic so watch these cards and get ready for me, honey.’

Gemma previously revealed she would wait until her 50s to try for a baby, having been inspired by supermodel Naomi Campbell, but has now decided to bring forward her plans.

Fertility specialists have warned, however, that celebrity success stories about later motherhood could convince women they can naturally conceive later in life or that fertility treatment is easy.

For most women aged over 45, the odds of becoming pregnant naturally stand at around one per cent.

Gemma’s gruelling fertility journey became apparent in 2017 during an episode of The Only Way Is Essex.

Broadcast to the nation, Gemma was told age 36 that she could not freeze her eggs and had a low egg count.

This meant that the star’s fertility options would be limited.

The doctor strongly advised against egg freezing and said she had two options ahead of her: IVF with donor sperm or the use of a donor egg and sperm.

Gemma was also told her weight would have a negative impact on her chances of falling pregnant and has since been on a quest to lose weight naturally.

The reality star has had a rollercoaster of a time with her weight as she has battled with trolls for the last two decades.

During her 20s, Gemma was a size 10 – but after she was diagnosed with PCOS, she piled on weight.

She admitted she never saw the weight creep in during her 20s because she was using it as an emotional coping mechanism.