Rhian Sugden has admitted that her and husband Oliver Mellor are spending more time apart after welcoming their miracle IVF baby.
The former glamour model, 40, told how becoming parents has put more strain on their marriage than their heartbreaking six-year battle to have a child.
Rhian and ex Coronation Street actor Oliver, 45, spent around £150,000 on eight rounds of IVF before welcoming their son George, now two, in 2024.
But while their gruelling fertility struggle brought them closer together at the time, Rhian says life as parents has left them struggling to find time for each other.
“The IVF itself made us stronger because we’d had to back each other up,” said Rhian.
“I felt guilty that I wasn’t gonna make him a dad because he’s like the best dad.
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“So I had all that guilt of, oh god, I’m not gonna be able to fulfill his dream, my dream. So, he was very good in that respect.”
However, Rhian admitted things have dramatically changed between them since George arrived.
Speaking on the Private Parts podcast this week, Rhian explained: “The thing that’s changed our marriage is having the actual child.
“Like, we’re like strangers at the minute. It’s hard. Even when we go on holiday, we’re not really getting much time alone.”
The Celebrity Big Brother alum also revealed she now sleeps in George’s bedroom because of his sleep struggles.
She said: “George just didn’t sleep as a baby, and I was like, I can’t do this. Just get him in bed. So we’ve just bought him a double bed and now I’m in George’s bedroom.”
Rhian and Oliver began dating in 2013 and tied the knot in Turkey in 2018.
Last year, Rhian publicly criticised Oliver after claiming he had gone drinking with friends while she and George were unwell – although she later insisted their marriage was fine.
The couple have spoken openly about their struggle to become parents, with Rhian undergoing eight rounds of IVF after discovering she had a very low egg count.
Elsewhere in the podcast, Rhian recalled breaking down in tears when a doctor warned her that the egg being used in her final IVF attempt was very low grade.
“I was crying on the table,” she said. “I was like, so why are we putting it in?”
But the treatment worked, leaving Rhian stunned when she discovered she was pregnant.
She recalled: “I couldn’t believe it. I still had lots of pregnancy tests even when I was like six months pregnant because I was just like every day thinking, surely not.
“You kind of set yourself up for a fail so that when it actually becomes reality, you’re like, oh no, like what happens now?”
Rhian was asked if her OnlyFans earnings had helped fund IVF and she replied: “I do more things than OnlyFans, but it definitely helped.”
Despite the challenges of parenthood, Rhian said: “I love it. I mean, [George]’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. But it’s so full on.”