BBC presenter Amanda Byram 'refuses to be shamed' for having a baby at 51
Former Total Wipeout presenter Amanda Byram has defended her decision to have a second child at the age of 51
TV presenter Amanda Byram has opened up about becoming a mother again at the age of 51, and says she "refuses to be shamed" for having a baby later in life. The former Total Wipeout and Big Breakfast host spoke about how her second son, Jett, was born earlier this year after a decades-long fertility journey that involved IVF and multiple miscarriages.
In a first-person piece for the Daily Mail, she told readers: "In January this year, after 30 hours of sucking in Royal Sussex County Hospital's finest gas and air, at 51 I finally had the family I'd dreamt of. My second son, Jett, was a month premature, but he felt years overdue."
Amanda began freezing her eggs at 40, met her husband Julian at 41, and the pair welcomed their first child, Phoenix, shortly after her 49th birthday. When their first boy was two years old, they decided they wanted to try again.
Although both pregnancies were healthy and largely uneventful, she explained that the couple chose to keep them secret to avoid publicly going through possible disappointment after facing many fertility setbacks.
When she announced Phoenix's birth three years ago, Amanda was initially showered with love and support, but the presenter was soon hit with online criticism for having a child at her age.
One commenter exclaimed: "There's no way she gave birth to this child!" Others accused her of being selfish or predicted her children would suffer because of her age.
"Fast-forward 20 years: a young man on the cusp of adulthood with two dead parents," another wrote. "I'm sorry but that's just a fact."
Amanda said the most painful criticism came from fellow mothers, which left her questioning whether to even share her age at all with other parents at playgroups or parks.
However, she has now embraced being an older mum and decided to speak out against judgements made based on her age. She shared: "I refuse to waste time worrying about what other people think, and even less worrying about what might happen 20 or 30 years from now.
"Finally I have maturity and wisdom – and these outstrip any traits I possessed in my younger years." Amanda added that she stays healthy and doesn't drink or smoke, which she believes will give her many happy years with her kids.
Beyond staying in shape, the BBC star wants to focus on what she can control: loving her children unconditionally and helping them grow into confident, compassionate adults.
She defiantly hit back at naysayers, writing: "I might be a silver-haired lady when I collect my kids from primary school, but I'll be proud of every single strand.
"If we don't speak up, how can we expect change? The keyboard critics will win, while society will continue to question and condemn the women who – for one reason or a million others – left it late to start a family."
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