Love Island All Stars winner Gabby Allen has candidly opened up about her preparations to become a mother, revealing that she's made the decision to freeze her eggs.
The 33-year-old – who earlier this year competed (and won) the second season of Love Island All Stars alongside Casey Gorman – spoke to OK! Magazine about her journey to motherhood, and said that because a "woman's body clock isn't always reliable" she's opted to undergo egg freezing to give her a sense of "security" that children will be in her future.
But, time pressure isn't the only factor in Gabby's decision to freeze her eggs, as she explained that her PCOS diagnosis played a part too. For those unsure, PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) affects about one in eight women in the UK and symptoms typically start to appear during late teens or early twenties. Symptoms can include irregular periods (or no periods at all), excess facial or body hair, difficulty getting pregnant, weight gain, oily skin, acne and enlarged ovaries.
"My gyno told me that freezing my eggs would be the safest option," Gabby said of how having PCOS may make falling pregnant more difficult. "I really want children, but having PCOS, egg freezing gives me a back-up plan – whether I end up in a relationship or as a badass single mum."
As for whether Casey is involved in her motherhood plans, Gabby revealed they haven't got that far yet – which is pretty fair, considering they only met a few weeks ago! "We haven't discussed having children in detail, we are still so fresh in our new relationship and in our honeymoon period," she said, commenting on the "pressures from the outside world" when you come off a big reality TV show like Love Island.
To that end, Gabby said she and Casey aren't allowing any public pressure to get to them. "We're taking our time and the relationship at our own pace, which is exciting."
