Actress Lisa Riley has said that losing weight has changed her mind about having children, after previously not wanting to be a mother.
The former Emmerdale star and Loose Women presenter has also said she might consider undergoing IVF if she struggles to fall pregnant naturally, although she will not put pressure on herself to have a child.
The 41-year-old TV star has lost more than 12 stone in weight in recent years and has undergone surgery to remove the loose skin on her body.
Riley said it occurred to her that she might want to be a mother – something she thought she was “too selfish” for before – when she had the operation.
In an extract from her new book Lisa Riley’s Honesty Diet, published in the Daily Mirror, Riley said: “I don’t know why I did it but the first question I asked before my surgery was, would I still be able to have children?
“Why did I ask that question? I wanted to know would the skin be able to stretch? Would the wound open up? I actually shocked myself.”
Riley said she had not wanted to have children after her mother and grandparents died of cancer, because her “gene pool is always going to be there”.
She said that, despite her family’s health concerns, she has added years to her life by losing weight and giving up smoking, and that having a child could now be on the cards.
“I used to think I was too selfish to have a child, but I am not selfish anymore,” she said, adding that she feels “really grown up”.
“I was so obsessed with my job. All my friends were married and had kids, yet I was single with no kids but crazy busy.
“When I realised there was more to life than working myself into the ground, I started enjoying myself. I was always thinking about myself.”
Riley said that being in a stable relationship is another factor in her change of heart.
She said: “You realise caring for someone is more important than anything. In other relationships, I know I didn’t truly care about them or them about me.
“It is a combination of my weight loss, a healthier lifestyle and finding the right person that has changed my mindset.
“What I have realised is I’ve got to start living myself now.
“If (pregnancy) happens it will be sent from my mum and I believe that completely.”
Riley said she would “possibly” have IVF but that she would also consider adoption.
She added: “I am not ruling out having a baby, but I will not saturate myself with pressure. If I have a child I’ll be overjoyed. But we are not put on this earth as baby-making machines.
“It is not a necessity to have children.”
