Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I look at her and cannot believe she is mine..
Cancer teen joy on becoming a mum
24
Against all odds I have Valentina, my miracle baby... I am so happy KAYLEIGH DONNELLY ON SURVIVAL AND BEING MUM
FIVE years ago, Kayleigh Donnelly was planning her own funeral... at the age of just 13.
One of the youngest people in the country to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer, survival seemed a faint hope – and motherhood an impossibility.
But today she is well and is seen cradling her own bundle of joy – gorgeous daughter Valentina, aged five months.
Kayleigh, still only 18, says: “It’s been absolutely amazing.
“I was told that I would never be able to conceive, but now I have a miracle baby against all the odds and the awful situation I went through.”
Gruelling chemotherapy was thought to have left Kayleigh infertile. She feared her route to motherhood would be through adoption. Then, against all odds, she conceived Valentina.
Little wonder, then, that she adds: “I look at her sometimes and just cannot believe she is mine. She is such a beautiful, happy, smiley baby.”
Kayleigh, from Blackpool, first hit the headlines after revealing doctors had mistaken her huge tumour for constipation when she began feeling sick and bloated. She was days from death when doctors sent her for a scan and found a 12inwide tumour weighing 7lb.
The cancer – which normally affects women over 50 – had rampaged through her spleen, liver, bowel and into her pelvis. She needed several operations and chemotherapy. Fearing the worst, she started planning her funeral. But in August Kayleigh will celebrate her five-year all-clear from cancer – with Valentina by her side.
Mum Lorraine, 42, who has six other children aged five to 24, says: “The worst part of the whole journey was when she sat on the end of the bed and asked me: ‘Mum, am I going to die’?
TOGETHER
“I had to tell her ‘I don’t know’. It’s the worst thing a mother can ever say to her child. I told her whatever happened, she was brave and we’d be in this together.”
Thankfully, Kayleigh did pull through. And Lorraine adds: “Since getting pregnant, Kayleigh had to go to all her appointments by herself due to Covid – and I think it has really helped her realise that she can do things herself.
“I knew she was pregnant before she did – I could just tell. I was over the
TUMOUR HELL Having chemo at age 13
moon to realise she could have children after everything we have been through.” Now, to celebrate her five-year “all-clear”, Kayleigh plans to make a bracelet for Valentina out of the “Beads of Courage” she was given in hospital.
Covid-permitting, she is also hoping to travel to Paris with her sister Ella, 20, to celebrate surviving cancer.
Kayleigh jokes that she isn’t yet sure about having more children due to suffering so badly with morning sickness while pregnant with Valentina.
“It was so severe, doctors thought she might be carrying twins,” Lorraine says.
That would have been particularly poignant – as Kayleigh’s own twin died in the womb four months into Lorraine’s pregnancy in 2002.
Despite everything she has been through, Kayleigh feels blessed. And she adds: “I love children and I feel so lucky.
“I am just so happy that my cancer hasn’t stopped me from being a mum. Valentina is my little miracle.”
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are about to reveal to the world their innermost feelings on all the whys and wherefores of relinquishing their royal roles.
In a sit-down chat with America’s queen of celebrity interviews Oprah Winfrey, they will explain just what led them to quit both royal life and the UK.
Ahead of the broadcast, relations with the Palace have become increasingly strained after shocking revelations from both sides.
As far as the bullying claims go, we’re going to have to choose sides because it’s their words against Meghan’s. But anyone is capable of showing their less attractive side if they are under pressure, feel like an outsider and have something to prove.
Although it does seem a bit odd she would behave like this in such a goldfish bowl.
Oprah’s interview is expected to inflict yet further damage on the Royal Family – while 99-year-old Prince Philip is in hospital.
How sad that Harry and Meghan haven’t thought through the impact their words will have on others, especially their children. One of the main reasons I stepped down from Loose Women earlier this year was my reluctance to continue sharing my personal life because it was having a detrimental effect on my family, particularly my children.
I’m an honest and open person, and I don’t mind sharing my experiences, good or bad. But doing it on a public platform such as a daily TV show is not the same as having a private chat with your mate.
At first I found it great because it really helped people to understand me. I also found it rewarding when I received kind messages from others thanking me for being candid as it made them feel better.
But looking back, I feel I was a bit naive when getting things off my chest in public – especially in a digital age when remarks can be taken out of context, made into a sensational headline and be sent on to a global audience.
The digital footprint is there to stay and can come back to haunt you and your loved ones when you least expect it. When I was washing my dirty laundry in public, I wasn’t thinking about the impact on my kids, husband, mum, brothers, sister and other family members.
The fact is that as soon as you open yourself up, you also indirectly expose your family to other people’s comments and judgments because they have a link to you.
Take, for example, comments I made about teachers on Loose Women. I said that although there were plenty of amazing teachers out there, I felt some weren’t pulling their weight during lockdown.
The headlines that followed didn’t reflect that context – they implied that I said all teachers weren’t pulling their weight.
I have sisters-in-law who are teachers, and these headlines negatively impacted them and also my own children.
When others who are not in the public eye are subjected to criticism because of you, it can be very distressing. They don’t get paid for dealing with your fallout. My kids were also affected. Friends were messaging them saying: “My mum says your mum doesn’t like teachers.” My children were so upset and became very anxious.
In future, I’m going to be a lot more thoughtful about what I say and how I say it.
And I urge Harry and Meghan to do the same.
They must always consider the impact their actions will have on Archie – and his new brother or sister.
Zara McDermott, of Love Island 2018, was a victim of revenge porn. Intimate naked photos of her were circulated around the globe by an ex.
I saw her documentary on the subject and was shocked by what she and other victims have to go through when their privacy is violated in such a manner.
The programme reveals that similar cases reported to the police have doubled in four years.
I’m so grateful to this brave young woman for educating both parents and children about the effects of this awful crime.
Zara is now a government adviser on the issue. It’s fantastic to see this young lady turn her negative into a positive.
SUNDAY MIRROR
I urge royal pair to consider the impact on kids
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Calls to shut mink farms for good are growing amid fears they will harbour new forms of Covid. Experts are monitoring pets, livestock and wildlife to learn where the virus can hide – and mink are on that list.
Denmark and the Netherlands have culled their entire mink populations – nearly 20 million animals – after they were found to be carrying a mutation of the virus.
Scientists worry the disease could leap from people into wild animals and then back into humans, triggering a fresh pandemic. Thomas Pietsch, of the FOUR PAWS charity, said: “The fur industry is a cruel and dangerous business – not only for animals but also for people now.
“To safeguard health, and of course animal welfare, FOUR PAWS demands a ban on fur farms immediately. Otherwise, it is not unrealistic that the next pandemic will come from a fur farm.”
Stars like Dame Judi Dench and Gary Lineker back calls for a UK ban on selling animal fur after £800million in imports since 2003.
KATIE Price is caught in the middle of a bitter cash row between a fellow model and a convicted fraudster.
Australian fitness fan Debbie Sugrue, says she was left £40,000 out of pocket after striking a deal for the reality TV star to promote an Instagram campaign.
She had asked Katie via her official Insta page to plug a competition for her marketing firm Giveaway Collaborations International and received a reply from James Austin who said he was acting on Katie’s behalf.
Debbie claims a deal was struck but Katie and her boyfriend Carl Woods then failed to meet their deadline.
She is pursuing Mr Austin, who was convicted in 2008 for using his grandparents’ names in a fraud worth tens of thousands of pounds, for a refund.
Mr Austin, who is also known as Jay, was jailed for two years in 2012 for other offences, after being arrested for passing fake notes at Royal Ascot.
Debbie, 28, told the Sunday Mirror: “This is destructive to my business. Nobody from their side has apologised or even acknowledged what happened.”
She says Katie, 42, and Carl, 31, were meant to plug the competition to win 10,000 Australian dollars – £5,600 – to their 2.5million followers on January 31.
The post would remain live for five days, directing fans to enter the draw by following Giveaway and 45 of its clients,
Debbie, who has almost 70,000 followers on Insta, says she transferred a fee of £3,950 to Mr Austin’s company, Lucky7 PR, happy the deal was done.
But she claims Katie put up her post three days late and Carl a day late – resulting in fewer entries and leaving her own clients demanding refunds.
“I was frantic. I had my clients emailing me day and night,” she said.
“It was constant excuses and Katie finally put it up three days late – two days before the competition ended.” Debbie says she is now considering legal action if Mr Austin does not give her a full refund. She added: “I really don’t know how much Katie knew about this. Jay, however, has a history of fraud.”
A spokesman for Katie and Carl said: “They would never knowingly enter into any agreement and not honour the contractual terms”.
Mr Austin said he manages collaborations for Carl and sometimes for mum-of-five Katie.
He accused Debbie of rescheduling the agreed posting date several times and paying late, and insisted that there would be no refund. He added: “The only person who was late to post was Katie. Carl posted everything on time.”
I was really frantic, and my clients kept on chasing me DEBBIE SUGRUE ON HOW DEAL FELL APART