A Place in The Sun property expert Scarlette Douglas has made no secret of her intention to freeze her eggs to assist with future parenting plans after exclaiming: “[The age of] 37 came around so quickly!” However, the TV star has now invited fans behind the scenes to hear exactly how much discomfort went into collecting them.

Hooked up to hospital equipment, the still heavily sedated presenter jokingly explained that, with the help of medics, she’d been on an “Easter egg hunt”. “Egg freezing diary day 20!! Egg collection done!” she triumphantly explained in view of over 75,000 followers.

Not shying away from any of the gory details, Scarlette continued: “Well, I’m going to be honest, I was very uncomfortable going in today ladies. “The trigger injection really did exacerbate the bloating and lower abdominal pain and the closer it was getting to my egg retrieval the more uncomfortable I was becoming. I had to sit on my left side for most of the day!”

She revealed that when the nerve-wracking moment came, she was comforted by the nurse, anaesthetist and doctor, who were all “super caring and very friendly”. “Everything was explained thoroughly and I felt in good hands. I did shed a little tear just before the sedation went in, mainly because I was scared and nervous, but also because you have to do it all on your own; no one can come in with you,” she agonised.

However, there was good news to come as it turned out her procedure had been more successful than she could ever have imagined. “Best sleep I’ve ever had,” she joked, admitting that she’d needed pain relief as she slowly came back to life.

“Just as I was ready to leave the recovery room, I was told of my 24 eggs that were collected, 19 were viable for freezing!!!!! I was over the moon!” she exclaimed.

“That was more than I could have ever imagined and so I was and am so so happy that, to this point, it has all been worth it.”

It’s been a deeply emotional journey for Scarlette, who had previously visited a fertility clinic in Barbados to get details about starting a family later in life.

She explained at the time how she wished more information had been easily available to her about the fact that eggs can “degrade” over time and that waning fertility can make it tougher to have a child towards the latter part of the childbearing years.

A hectic career and travelling schedule meant that she wasn’t ready in her 20s and early 30s, but she knows that she wants kids to be a part of her life in the future.

“If you have children too young it’s an issue, but your window of opportunity ie biological clock starts ticking against you,” one fan empathised.

Others stated that her honest portrayal of her experience had “inspired” them to begin their own egg-freezing journeys.

Her comments section on Instagram was flooded with warm wishes, as she was told she was “abundantly blessed”.