Tina Malone has revealed she’s going to be a mum again at 54 and declares that she doesn’t care what people have to say about it.
The Shameless actress and her toyboy husband Paul, 35, already have a child between them called Flame, who is now three.
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But now Tina says she wants to give Flame a sibling, even though she was worried for a time that being in her mid-50s meant she would be too old to carry a child.
So now she and Paul (above, with Flame) have decided to turn to a surrogate to carry the baby for them instead.
When she had Flame three years ago at the age of 50, she came under much criticism for having a child at such a late stage in her life, but Tina is ready to take on anyone who dares take a pop at her.
“Some will say I am selfish and irresponsible for having another child at 54,” she said. “They will moralise and abuse me – even more so for selecting the sex of our baby – and everyone is entitled to their opinion. But I don’t give two [bleeps] for what they think.”
“I am doing this for Flame and for my husband, not just myself. I am healthy, of sound mind, solvent – and a bloody brilliant mother.”
She added: “So if 100 trolls want to say what a selfish, ugly, wrinkly, loud, gobby, brassy old trollop I am – bring it on. I have a wonderful, loving husband 20 years younger who deserves a couple of children.
“I have no intention of shuffling off this planet yet and I’ll probably live until I’m 104 because I am that belligerent and wilful and determined.
“But if I don’t, well then Flame has a sibling and Paul has two children, not just one. So I wish myself good luck – even if you don’t.”
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Tina underwent IVF treatment at a Cyprus clinic in 2013. Tina had two embryos transferred but lost one and developed life-threatening pre-eclampsia before giving birth to Flame.
While she is keen to carry another child other own, she says Paul isn’t so keen.
“We still have eight embryos frozen in Cyprus,” she told the Sunday People. “And whenever we went there I’d cry, moan and say to Paul, ‘Please let me have another one.’ But Paul won’t let me risk my life.”
Paul added: “I couldn’t let Tina risk another pregnancy. Flame and I love her too much. At the same time, I thought, ‘These embyros are a part of me… potential siblings for Flame.’”
However, the couple had some good advice from their doctor who told them hope wasn’t lost to have their own kids.
She told the paper: “When we got there my surgeon told us, ‘If I could find you a surrogate, would you have another child that way?’ My eyes lit up like I had won the lottery. That was it. This child is for Flame. It will be her full biological sibling. And it will also be my husband’s child. Will I feel bonded? Yes.”
She added: “You have to be psychologically assessed before surrogacy and these doctors are rigorous.”
Tina, who also has a 35 year old daughter called Danielle, has been through the wars over the years having to live with bipolar and OCD. She was also an alcoholic and has been sober for 15 years and has also put her bankruptcy heartache behind her.
“Days of champagne, cocaine and rock and roll are very far behind me,” she declares. “I am comfortable with myself – physically, mentally and emotionally.”
Tina and Paul are soon to meet their surrogate at the Cyprus clinic but know that the whole procedure can end in heartache.
“The surrogate has six weeks to decide if she wants to keep the baby. She can decide not to hand it over,” Tina reveals.