16 Celebs That Had Children Thanks To Their Surrogates
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A method of procreating that is becoming increasingly more common and accepted, using a surrogate to have a baby was once almost unheard of. However, with the various advances of medicine many people who would have never been able to carry children in the past, are now able to plan families. In fact, one notorious and recent example is that of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. After experiencing complications with her first two pregnancies, the couple opted to hire a surrogate to continue to grow their family.
As we know, using surrogates is becoming much more common amongst the entertainment crowd. Not only do they have more than enough money to cover the process, but they also typically have the motivation to do so. For instance, some women may want to avoid damaging their physique and may instead opt to have a surrogate to carry the baby. On the flip side, there are also things such as time restrictions and of course, fertility issues, which often leads these people to go the surrogacy route. Nevertheless, all show business isn't for show. Therefore, there are times in which the public is kept in the dark with regards to surrogacy and sometimes, even their parent status. That said, the following is an overview of 16 celebrities you probably never knew used a surrogate to expand their families.
Camille Grammer
Despite seemingly having it all, the one thing the Grammer’s could not have (naturally) was a baby. Due to the fact that she suffers from a rare, yet severe form of irritable bowel syndrome, Camille Grammer was unable to give birth as she was told she could suffer from severe complications as a result.
Nevertheless, after contact the Center for Surrogate Parenting, they were introduced to the woman who would be their surrogate, Juliana. Perhaps it was her previous experience as a surrogate, or maybe it was the fact that she worked as a nurse, but the Grammer’s opted to rent her womb out to bring their bundles of joy into the world. Juliana gave birth to their daughter, Mason Olivia, in 2001 as well as their son Jude Gordan, in 2004.
Lucy Lui
After working with UNICEF for over a decade meeting some of the most gorgeous, friendly babies from all over the world, Lucy Lui caught a baby fever of her own. Nevertheless, being a single woman, making a baby was much easier said than done. Opting to get a surrogate, Lui was very excited at the notion to just take a break from her busy career and focus on being a mother.
After traveling the world for many years, the normalcy of motherhood was just too compelling to ignore. Rockwell Lloyd was born in August of 2015. Now enjoying a much simpler life, Lucy Lui enjoys the magical moments of watching her son grow everyday and has since taken on causes such as saving art in schools in addition to her other well-known cause, child trafficking.
Amy Smart
Another star who shocked her fan base by abruptly announcing the arrival of their new baby, Amy Smart spent many years privately contending with her fertility issues. An actress and model who many may have believed to be too vain to carry her own child, was actually not able to do so, to no fault of her own.
While in previous generations a couple in their 40's with fertility issues would have likely only have been able to conceive with the help of a divine miracle, we live in an age in which surrogacy is now a perfectly acceptable option. The couple was thrilled to announce the arrival of their new daughter, Flora, in December of 2016. They were even nice enough to thank the surrogate for carrying her in the IG caption!
Jordana Brewster
A gorgeous couple that first met while filming “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, the true horror story came when Jordana realized her issues with fertility. Nevertheless, the couple opted to go the surrogacy route and have since brought two beautiful children into the world.
One of the more candid celebs who have taken this route, although Jordana asserts her life in the spotlight made it impossible to hide her use of a surrogate, she has also asserted that she feels lucky to be able to be so open and honest about the process and how it has affected her life. After a successful, full-term pregnancy with their oldest, Julian, the couple once again used a surrogate to welcome their second born, Rowan. Although it seems the couple may be done for now, neither has asserted that they are done expanding the family. We will certainly stay tuned to these 2.
Grace Hightower
If nothing else, the use of surrogates in Hollywood is changing the way couples plan their families. For instance, Robert De Niro and his wife, actress Grace Hightower had already lived the family life, nearly separated, and came back together to once again expand their family. Now in their older years, each of them does look young for their age, which is hopefully a positive sign for things to come.
Either way, the recluse couple seems absolutely thrilled to once again be raising a small child and they are leading the way for older couples as well as those with innate fertility issues. Despite having 5 kids spread across 3 different family units, De Niro has opened up and admitted that it can be a struggle raising that many kids, especially when in different households. However, he has also stated that learning to listen to his children has made a world of difference.
Dylan Lauren
No matter how you look at it, Dylan Lauren is essentially fashion royalty. The gorgeous daughter or fashion icons Ralph and Ricky Lauren, However, unlike many of the men and women on this list, Lauren did not use a surrogate due to fertility issues.
Rather, due to her and her husband’s busy schedules and her need to help keep the family empire afloat, Dylan opted to use a surrogate as a means of saving herself some time and trouble. Either way, now in her mid-40’s, the couple welcome a set of fraternal twins, Cooper Blue and Kingsley Rainbow, in 2015. Moreover, the couple seems to be thrilled with their decision. Since their birth, the family appears to be happy and well-functioning. Dylan, herself, has asserted she has no regrets with regards to going through with the process.
Kara DioGuardi
A woman with a story that’s much more severe, the reason for Kara using a surrogate differs from most others we’ve seen thus far. Unfortunately, the former “American Idol” judge had some serious health issues that prevented her and her husband, Mike McCuddy, from conceiving naturally.
After learning she was a carrier for the BRCA2 gene mutation, which is linked to heredity diseases, Kara opted to undergo a surgery. Although this greatly reduced her risk of contracting anything, it obviously made it impossible for her to carry a child naturally. Fortunately, the couple did not give up and welcomed their son, Greyson James in 2013. Although she still has to have her health status evaluated every 6 years, the music publisher is looking forward to living a long healthy life being a wife and mother.
George Lucas
On the flip side, since getting older no longer means you can't become a parent, George Lucas (now in his 70's) and his wife, Mellody Hobson, (who is approaching 50), decided to bring a child into the world via a surrogate in 2013.
After getting wed earlier that year, the couple couldn’t wait to explore their option with regards to expanding their family. Being Lucas' 4th child and his wife's first, they were both thrilled for the opportunity to continue to expand the family. Furthermore, despite having three children already, all of his children were adopted, so this is actually their first "biological" child. Needless to say, Everest Hobson Lucas is one spoiled child and the family is thrilled to have achieved this miracle.
Christiano Ronaldo
A gorgeous family within the field of sport, Christiano Ronaldo and his girlfriend, Portuguese superstar, Georgina Rodriguez have some serious experience with regards to surrogacy. Although he prefers to keep his life mostly private, their son, Christiano Jr. was born to an unknown surrogate in 2010.
The world’s richest soccer player, despite an array of rumours about his preferences and countless critiques on the fact that the couple have yet to wed, the family continues to function as a happy unit and expand. Just last year, the couple welcomed a set of twins via surrogate. Either way, no matter if it’s vanity, fertility issues, or some other reason entirely, one thing’s for sure, those children are just as gorgeous as their parents!
Katey Sagal
So, if you're an 80's/90's baby, it may be astounding to find out that there may have been a time in which Mrs. Peggy Bundy was not actually "married with children". Nevertheless, after her first marriage failed, Sagal thought she would be done with the family life.
Indeed, although she has a grown daughter and son who she loves dearly, her kids being of age changed her life to the point in which she was able to settle into enjoying her single years. Nevertheless, once she met and fell for her now husband, Kurt Sutter, things began to change. Despite not wanting more kids at first, the couple eventually changed their minds since Sutter didn't have any biological kids of their own. However, as their biological clocks continued to tick, they soon found challenges in the baby-making department. The couple welcomed a new baby girl to the family via surrogate in 2007.
Elizabeth Banks
After many years of contending with fertility issues, well-known actress, Elizabeth Banks opted to seek outside help to become pregnant and expand her family. Despite various issues with conceiving, the What to Expect When You’re Expecting star and her husband, Max Handelman decided to try their hand at surrogacy. Despite some misgivings about not being able to carry her own child, Banks said her concerns were quelled when various women who had their children via surrogate told her they barely remembered not being pregnant.
Welcoming her baby boy, Felix, just last year. Although she reports some issues with balancing work and family time, the actress is thrilled to have been able to bring a child into the world and may one day do so again.
Ellen Pompeo
A well-known actress, director, and producer, Ellen Pompeo is actually one of the highest paid actresses on television. However, as we all know, money isn’t everything and it certainly can’t always fix fertility issues. Speaking candidly on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the actress joked about enjoying the secrecy of the surrogacy privacy but also said part of the reason she kept it a secret for so long was to protect the privacy of the surrogate. Either way, the actress and her husband, Chris Ivery now have three children.
The first of which, Stella Luna, Pompeo definitely carried naturally. On the flip side, Sienna May was born via surrogate in 2014. However, while they have been fairly tight-lipped about their most recent edition, Eli, who was born in 2017, it has been presumed that he was carried via surrogate as well.
Nicole Kidman
Known for being an (occasional) blonde bombshell, an amazing actress, and even the ex of the excessively kooky Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman certainly has lived an incredibly interesting life thus far. Moreover, unlike most people on this list, Kidman has adopted two kids (with ex-husband, Tom Cruise), has carried and birthed one child naturally (with her now husband, Keith Urban), and has also had a child with the use of a surrogate.
However, after experiencing years of fertility issues, the 5-year old actress is now holding out hope to once again birth a child naturally. Still interested in expanding her family, Kidman says that many women in her family birthed children later in life, which gives her hope that she can do the same. Either way, given that she has stated that children are the light of her life, it is highly likely that she will once again try the surrogacy route if she fails to conceive naturally.
Jimmy Fallon
On the flip side, beloved talk show host, Jimmy Fallon, also opened up about his use of a surrogate in order to expand his family. Following a surprise baby announcement on his talk show, Fallon admitted that he and his wife, Nancy Juvonen, had been having fertility issues and after many failed attempts at conceiving, opted to try the surrogacy route.
Credited with helping this method of conception more mainstream and acceptable, many were grateful to Fallon for opening up about he and his wife’s fertility issues, which ultimately led the couple to conceiving in this manner. Going into depth about their “awful 5-year fertility struggle”, made many admire him for his candid ability to speak out. Either way, his daughter, Winnie Fallon, was born in July of 2018.
Cindy Margolis
She is a wildly successful actress, talk show host, super model, and author. Most well-known for being a blonde bombshell, Cindy Margolis was actually set the Guinness World Record for the World’s Most Downloaded Woman in 1999, among many other accolades she earned throughout the course of her career.
However, despite being highly successful in her professional life, Cindy continued to struggle personally. In particular, she experienced significant trouble when attempting to have a baby. Suffering from “unexplained fertility issues”, after first trying to go the In-Vitro Fertilization, to no avail, Cindy and her husband, restaurateur Guy Starkman, decided to go the surrogacy route. The surrogate, Shannon, gave birth to Margolis and Starkman's twin girls, Sabrina and Sierra, in August of 2005, and also became good friends with Cindy throughout the process.
Angela Bassett
If you've seen Angela Bassett out with her family, odds are, you found them to be a rather adorable, close-knit family unit. However, you'd never guess that their set of fraternal twins, Bronwyn Golden and Slater Josiah were actually birthed with the help of surrogate.
Although the couple would have been thrilled to conceive naturally, 7 years filled with failed attempts as well as a failed attempt at in-vitro fertilization left them with few other options. However, as luck would have it, a close friend announced she was expecting with no signs of being pregnant. Once she explained that she would be having her baby with the use of a surrogate, something clicked in Angela's head and the rest is Hollywood history. The twins were officially introduced to the world on January 28, 2006.
References: CelebrityBabies, DailyMail
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