BBC Breakfast TV presenter Kate Silverton has revealed she may experience difficulties conceiving after surgery following a burst ovarian cyst 10 years ago.
The disclosure, in the Daily Mail this week, comes as Silverton prepares to marry fiancé, former Royal Marine Mike Heron, who proposed on a trip to Rome six weeks ago.
Silverton says that she made it clear to her husband-to-be that she may not be able to have children before accepting his proposal. Clearly he wasn't put off marrying the popular TV presenter.
Quoted in the Daily Mail, Silverton said: 'I still don't know whether I can have children or not, and I wanted to make sure that Mike still wanted to go through with it knowing there was a risk.
'But he just said: "You are the person I want to be with and whatever happens we will deal with it together''.'
One of Silverton's ovaries was removed during the surgery in 1999, which occurred when she was covering the Labour party conference.She hasn't ruled out being able to conceive naturally, and is apparently putting much store in the lucky, fertility-boosting qualities of the Breakfast TV sofa. BBC Breakfast presenter Sian Willams has just gone on maternity leave to have her fourth child.
Adoption is also a possibility, says Silverton. 'There will be a role for me as a mum of some sort, because I love children too much and will have them in my life in some way - whether through setting up a hospital or school in Africa or through adopting, which is something I have looked at.'
Silverton's revelation in the press has elicited many responses on the Daily Mail website, most from sympathetic well-wishers. Tracey from Milton Keynes writes:
'I had an emergency operation to remove my ovary when I was 17 and was told that I may find it hard to conceive but managed to have a baby at the age of 21. Six weeks after my son was born I had another emergency operation and most of my remaining ovary was removed and I was told that at least I had had a child as it was unlikely I would be able to conceive again. Two years later I gave birth to my daughter. I hope that she is as lucky as I have been.'