Infertility ‘curse of modern women’

INFERTILITY has become the “curse” of modern women as they strive to have it all, according to Billie Piper. The actress said yesterday that many of her friends have left it late to have children because of their careers and are now becoming “really quite fraught”. Piper, 33, has two children with her ex-husband, actor Lau- rence Fox, but tackles infertility in the acclaimed play, Yerma, in which she stars as a high-achieving woman desperately struggling to conceive.

In an interview with Woman’s Hour on Radio 4, she said she does not struggle to imagine her character’s plight because it’s something she witnesses often.

“I think it is sort of the curse of a modern woman. I see it all around me.”

Piper has received 5-star reviews for her portrayal of Her in the Young Vic production, which brings Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca’s 1934 drama about childlessness into the modern era.

The former pop star said she really enjoys the role, which requires her to act in a glass tank and be on stage for an hour and 40 minutes without a break. But she added while researching the role, she came across “shocking” evidence about the drop-off in fertility rates as women progress through their thirties.

She has seen the “alarming” impact the story has on the sell-out audiences, saying: “At the end of the show so many people tell me they are off to get a fertility test.”

Asked how her experience of having two sons affects her ability to relate to the part, she said it helps her “understand the loss” she would feel if she could not have kids. Piper’s first husband was Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans, who she married aged 18 in 2001 while focusing on her singing. She then moved into acting, securing the role of Doctor Who’s companion Rose Tyler, and divorced in 2007.

Later that year she married Fox, most famous for his role in Lewis, but they announced in March they were separating. Weeks before, Fox said his ideal night was watching TV with his wife. – Daily Mail