Strictly’s Stacey Dooley tearfully reveals ectopic pregnancy requiring urgent surgery

Stacey Dooley has bravely opened up about her devastating struggles in expanding her family with partner Kevin Clifton.

The TV presenter, 38, met Kevin, 42, on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018 when they were paired together and lifted the Glitter Ball trophy. They started dating the following year and, in January 2023, welcomed a daughter named Minnie.

Both parents have made the conscious decision not to share photos of their baby girl’s face online, since she can’t ‘consent’ due to her age, but they do sometimes treat fans to a glimpse inside their home life via social media.

Away from the bright lights of the dancefloor and huge TV cameras, however, Stacey and Kevin faced a tough time last year when they tried to have another baby.

Speaking in the latest episode of her hit series Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, the broadcaster broke down as she recalled her ectopic pregnancy.

The episode saw Stacey spend time with Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, who was Britain’s first legally recognised gay father, who praised surrogacy for allowing him to have ‘beautiful’ children.

Getting personal, Stacey grew incredibly tearful as she said in a solo interview: ‘I have experienced what it is like to struggle to have a child.

‘We obviously wanted to expand our family, and last year I fell pregnant and it didn’t go brilliantly.’

‘It was ectopic,’ she confirmed.

‘I am so sorry because this is so predictable. I am sat here, crying on a bed,’ she apologised.

‘It was ectopic, and it was really f***ing difficult.’

Ultimately, Stacey required urgent surgery for an ‘internal rupture’.

‘Of course, when you go through something like that, you are forced to think of alternatives,’ she reflected.

‘S**t happens, and if you want a bigger family, you have to think how you’re going to do that.’

As explained by the NHS, an ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilised egg implants itself outside of the womb, usually in one of the fallopian tubes, which connect the ovaries to the womb.

Should an egg get stuck in the tubes, it is unable to develop, and it can pose serious health risks.

Sadly, the pregnancy cannot be saved, and it has to be removed. It’s believed that around 1 in every 90 pregnancies in the UK is ectopic, which is 11,000 a year.

Stacey’s revelation comes after her interview with The Guardian earlier this year, in which she said: ‘I would like to have more children.

‘But it’s not a given, is it?’

When asked what boyfriend Kevin thinks of having more kids, she said he’s ‘up for it’ as well.

She also spoke about her parenting regrets, having perhaps wished she’d started having babies ‘sooner’, meaning she could’ve already had more.

‘I might have had two, or three, or four. But you have to be realistic about these things. Like, biologically,’ she reasoned.

‘I did everything I needed to in my twenties. I had an amazing decade of prioritising myself. All of that freedom. But, actually, I think I should have… I didn’t know I’d feel like this.’

Stacey went on to admit she probably owes other mums an apology, having initially thought that being a parent ‘can’t be that hard’.

‘I really used to think that, which is f***ing hilarious,’ she laughed. ‘I owe all of those women an apology.’