For nearly one-fourth of my life, I have been pregnant.

Six pregnancies in eight consecutive years have made me a mother of two, as well as a gestational surrogate three times.

Every pregnancy has come with its own mix of happiness and difficulty, but surrogacy brings a different kind of pressure. Anxiety is almost unavoidable when you are carrying more than a baby—you are also carrying someone else’s hopes of becoming a parent.

I first started researching surrogacy soon after welcoming my daughter Aria in 2019.

At the time, I was 30 and living in San Diego, California. My grandmother initially encouraged me to consider egg donation, but that path did not appeal to me. I had experienced a smooth first pregnancy, however, and began searching for another way to support women and families who struggled to conceive.

Becoming a surrogate seemed mutually beneficial. I could provide financial support for my own family while helping another family realize its dream of welcoming a child.

The nerves surrounding my first surrogacy were even stronger the second time, in 2021. That was when I discovered that Chrissy Teigen and John Legend wanted me to help them have another child, less than a year after the heartbreaking loss of their son, Baby Jack, at 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Following their loss, Chrissy and John began looking for a gestational carrier. After reviewing my profile, they decided they wanted to meet me.

I was excited, nervous and hopeful when I met Chrissy and John. Although I felt starstruck by their fame as a Sports Illustrated model and Grammy-winning musician, I reminded myself to look beyond their public profiles. In that moment, they were simply two people trying to grow their family after enduring a very public tragedy.

Once we decided to continue, I felt certain I could give them something meaningful. The journey ultimately proved far more challenging—and humbling—than I had expected.

Chrissy, John and I were matched only a few months after I delivered my first surrogate baby. That pregnancy had involved carrying a baby girl for two fathers in Seattle, Washington, and the experience had gone remarkably smoothly.

At first, I assumed my uncomplicated pregnancy and delivery would make qualifying as a surrogate fairly simple. Once I began contacting agencies, though, I discovered that applicants must meet an extensive range of medical, financial and home-environment requirements.

A strong candidate generally needs to have carried a baby to term without serious complications, meet specific income guidelines and fall within an approved body mass index range. Agencies also assess the applicant’s family and living situation to ensure the surrounding people and home provide a safe, stable and supportive environment.

After spending considerable time researching the process online, I applied to a highly regarded surrogacy agency in California.

My application was approved relatively quickly, and I soon attended an in-person consultation. The agency reviewed my personal background, medical history and preferences regarding the intended parents. Finding the right match is deeply personal, and it depends on everyone involved feeling comfortable and secure with one another.

One thing that surprised me was how little age affected the process.

I began exploring surrogacy at 30, which placed me toward the older end of the usual range. I was 32 when I matched with Chrissy and John. Although pregnancy can become more complicated as someone gets older, age is less significant for gestational carriers because they are not using their own genetic material. I was surprised to learn that some agencies accept surrogates into their early 40s.

The agency confirmed my information by reviewing my medical records, inspecting my home and conducting background checks on both me and my fiancé at the time.

Once cleared, the agency shared my profile with intended parents looking for a gestational carrier. Higher-profile couples, like Chrissy and John, use third-party matching services that search for a specific surrogate across different agencies, and that’s how they found me.

After a medical screening confirmed that I’d be physically capable of carrying a pregnancy, I moved onto the legal portion of the process – the step that takes the longest.

Although each surrogacy contract is individualized, they generally address many of the same details. They specify the number of attempts for an embryo transfer and payment details, including insurance coverage, reimbursements for medical fees and stipends for maternity clothes and prenatal massages. Payments are generally paid out in monthly installments after a fetal heartbeat is confirmed.

Once the contracts were signed, I began taking in vitro fertilization medications and prepping my body for the embryo transfer.

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With Chrissy and John, I had my first embryo transfer in November 2021. Despite multiple positive pregnancy tests, my first ultrasound revealed that there was no baby growing in the gestational sac. Because the pregnancy was not progressing, I would have to miscarry.

Miscarriages are already horrible and traumatic on their own. Miscarrying someone else’s child – no matter who they are – is a whole other level of sadness and anxiety. It was a lot of pressure, and I was battling my own body, frustrated that it was not doing what it was supposed to do. I wanted so badly to give John and Chrissy a healthy baby and yet, for reasons out of my control, things weren’t going the way we had anticipated.

Getting my body ready to undergo a second embryo transfer was also a much longer process than I could ever have anticipated. I had to undergo approximately seven procedures – including hysteroscopies, polyp removals and scar tissue treatment – before I was finally cleared for another transfer.

I was worried John and Chrissy would find another surrogate who could deliver their baby without any hiccups. Why wouldn’t they? Knowing who they were, I figured they could essentially pick anybody.

But they were so patient with me: loving, caring and gentle. They never tried to rush me or make it feel like I was at fault. I felt supported and given the space I needed to process what had happened. It made everything that much easier.

Luckily, in October 2022, the second embryo transfer worked.

And there was more news to celebrate. Earlier that year, Chrissy also found out that she was pregnant.

The babies – the one Chrissy was carrying and the one I was carrying – would only be six months apart.

She and John had waited until she was three months along before they shared the news with me. It was incredibly considerate given everything we had already experienced.

Chrissy and I were only pregnant together for a short period of time, but I loved it. It was such a unique and special part of the journey to know we were both carrying babies who would grow up together.

Throughout my pregnancy, I commuted to doctor’s appointments in Los Angeles from my home in San Diego. Chrissy and John couldn’t always accompany me given their busy schedules, but I took videos after every ultrasound to make sure they felt as involved as possible.

Before the baby was born, I relocated to LA to be in closer proximity to their hospital and doctor. On June 19, 2023, I went into labor.

I initially wanted Chrissy to help deliver the baby, but some unexpected complications prevented that from happening. Still, she and John got to be in the room when I gave birth. I’ll never forget watching them meet Wren Alexander Stephens, who they named after me, for the first time.

For me, seeing my intended parents look into the eyes of their newborn is the most fulfilling part of surrogacy. It’s the reason I’ve gone through the journey three times. It’s what makes it all worth it.

A lot of people don’t understand that surrogacy is a commitment. It’s a lot of countless doctor’s appointments and IVF appointments, it’s embryo transfers and potential pregnancy loss, it’s recovery, and then more transfers – all while being a mom and a partner and working full time. Surrogacy is so much more than simply being pregnant for nine months, though this part isn’t insignificant. It can take years from the time you match with the intended parents and the time you deliver the baby. There is so much that happens before anyone ever sees a positive pregnancy test.

The journey with Chrissy and John took two years.

But it was worth every minute.

Chrissy and John always treated me as part of their family. Even though I’ve since moved to Texas and no longer live locally, I love being able to watch Wren grow and live his beautiful life through the updates and photos his parents send me. There’s something special in knowing that I got to play a small part in helping create the family and life he has today.

As told to Katherine Fung 

Counter-terrorism officers have been photographed arresting five men over a suspected car bomb plot targeting US forces at RAF Fairford.

The suspects were detained alongside three vans believed to have been prepared to carry explosives. Images from the arrests show the men shirtless and handcuffed, raising suspicions that police may also have feared they were wearing suicide vests.

RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire serves as a US Air Force command base for European operations. The facility has been used to support American strikes against Iranian missile sites involved in attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard issued a warning about the base in July, telling Britain not to allow US bombers to launch missions from RAF Fairford.

Counter-terrorism officers are understood to be directing the investigation as specialists examine the devices recovered from the scene. Authorities are working to establish whether the suspected explosives were capable of causing an attack.

Footage recorded by a resident of nearby Whelford at around 2.10am shows the men restrained with a powerful light shining on them. A separate image appears to show the three vans allegedly linked to the suspected plot.

People living in the surrounding Cotswolds countryside were evacuated as armed police and the SAS moved into the area. The Army’s specialist explosive ordnance disposal team was also deployed to search for any additional devices.

A Government spokesman said Prime Minister Andy Burnham was being “kept updated” on the operation from Liverpool, where the Labour Party conference is due to begin today.

The security operation is likely to intensify debate over the defence decisions facing Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey ahead of next month’s Budget.

Keir Starmer, Mr Burnham’s predecessor, initially refused to allow US bombers to operate from British bases after the Iran war began in February. The decision angered President Donald Trump, who criticised the former Labour leader by saying he was “no Winston Churchill”.

Sir Keir later changed course, granting the US permission in March to use the bases for the “specific and limited defensive purpose” of destroying Iranian missiles “at source”.

RAF Fairford has reportedly been placed on Delta alert, the highest threat level used by the US Department of Defense.

Security measures have also been strengthened at other American facilities in Britain. RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk has reportedly been placed on Charlie alert, the second-highest level.

The Whelford resident who photographed the arrests told the Daily Mail: “I was asleep and was woken by shouting outside.

“I could not make out what was being said, but as I moved closer to the window I saw the road illuminated by the blue flashing lights of police vehicles.

“On one side of the road, officers had lined up five men. All of them had their shirts removed.”

‘They were instructed to sit down. They were patted down by the officers and then had their shoes and socks removed.

‘I think they must have been there for about half an hour. The suspects were then told to get up and were walked round the corner.

‘I lost sight of them after that but I presumed they were put in police vans and led away. This all happened just outside the perimeter of RAF Fairford.

‘The police are investigating three work vans parked a few hundred yards from my house. We’ve not been told much, we were just asked to evacuate our homes early this morning.’

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Road blocks and armed police have been in place near the base in recent days and emergency vehicles are parked nearby.

A witness said armed police had blocked access to the base’s main gate and around 30 police cars, ambulances and fire engines were in the village of Fairford.

Earlier a vehicle, apparently a tractor, was pictured blocking a gate at the base.

Gloucestershire Police said earlier: ‘A number of properties are currently being evacuated in the Whelford area following the declaration of a major incident.

‘It follows the arrest of several men on suspicion of offences under the explosives act.

‘The Army’s specialist explosive ordnance disposal team are currently examining a number of vehicles. The local residents are being evacuated to a nearby leisure centre.

‘A cordon is currently in place but we’d like to reassure people that we believe this incident is contained.

‘We are working closely with our partners and are enacting the well-rehearsed plans we have in place.’

A US Air Force spokesman said: ‘The 501st Combat Support Wing and our fellow UK-based Wings remain vigilant and will take appropriate actions to ensure the safety and security of our US service members, civilians, contractors, and their families.

‘We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families.’

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said of the incident: ‘We can be reassured that this is being dealt with.’ 

In June, the US government said it would spend around $500million (£377million) on ‘expansion and military infrastructure’ at the base, understood to include a new hangar complex.

A month earlier the Royal International Air Tattoo, set to be held at the base in July, was cancelled after the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises (RAFCTE) said the ‘escalating geopolitical situation in the Middle East’ had required a ‘significant increase in real-world operational missions’ from RAF Fairford.

RAFCTE said both the Royal and US air forces needed to ‘maintain unrestricted, 24/7 operational readiness at the base’.

Shortly after the US and Israel began the war with Iran on February 28, roads surrounding RAF Fairford were closed in a bid to ‘address safety and access issues’.

Protective screens were mounted on the base’s perimeter fences in March to stop filming after it became popular with plane spotters when US bombers began arriving.

That month US military personnel at the base were pictured preparing explosives at the base as Washington intensified strikes on Iran.

Nearly five years after Georgie Burt lost her son, Zane Mellor, in the Hillcrest Primary School jumping castle disaster, she is hoping the long-awaited inquest will help bring about lasting improvements to child safety.

The first week of hearings in Tasmania concluded on Friday, as the inquiry began examining the events surrounding the tragedy and the response that followed.

On December 16, 2021, Zane was taking part in an end-of-year celebration with classmates at the school near Devonport in Tasmania’s northwest. A sudden ‘mini-tornado’ swept across the grounds, lifting the jumping castle and other inflatable equipment into the air.

The 12-year-old was thrown from the castle as it rose 16m above the oval before landing about 60m away.

Five other students — Addison Stewart, Chace Harrison, Jye Sheehan, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones and Peter Dodt — also died. The children were in grades 5 or 6.

Three more children suffered serious injuries in the jumping castle accident.

The inquest has heard accounts of desperate attempts by paramedics, police and hospital workers to save the children, along with descriptions of a scene marked by confusion and disorder.

Giving evidence, Ms Burt said she rushed to Hillcrest Primary School but could not find Zane among the chaos.

She was later told that he had been taken to nearby Mersey Community Hospital.

When she arrived, Ms Burt was informed that Zane had died. However, she could not see him because his body had already been taken to another location.

She later learned that her son had died on the school’s oval, rather than at the hospital.

Ms Burt told the inquest she did not see Zane’s body until three days after the tragedy, when she attended a funeral home.

Tasmania Police assistant commissioner Adrian Bodnar apologised to Ms Burt on Friday, acknowledging that she had not been permitted to enter the school oval while families of some other victims had been allowed access.

Dean Wotherspoon, a veteran constable and the lead forensic investigator, also conceded that police ‘could have done better’ in their handling of the aftermath.

The inquiry is expected to consider how the castle was installed by operator Taz-Zorb, whether national safety standards were followed and if the Tasmanian Education Department failed in its responsibilities.

‘I don’t think there will ever be a complete amount of closure when it comes to losing our children,’ Ms Burt said after the opening day of the inquest.

Rosemary Gamble, the operator of Taz-Zorb, was charged over alleged criminal workplace safety breaches but was found not guilty in 2025.

The magistrate ruled Ms Gamble could have taken further steps regarding the castle’s anchorage but even if she had, it would not have changed the outcome.

It was ruled the ‘dust devil’ wind event was impossible to predict.

Recent jumping castle accidents elsewhere in Australia were further proof improved standards were needed, Ms Burt said. 

In early September, five children were taken to hospital after jumping castles were picked up by winds in separate incidents on the same day in Victoria and NSW. 

‘I hope for better protocols. I hope for law change. I hope people can have a really good look,’ Ms Burt said.

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Zane was remembered at the inquest as witty and cheeky, with a zest for adventure and love for video games. 

The coroner is assessing a request from families’ lawyers to make school staff give evidence at the inquest. 

‘Families are desperate for information and this might be their last chance,’ their lawyer Peter Hamilton said. 

‘They felt shut out on the day and at the hospital. They then felt shut out from getting much-needed answers from the school.’ 

Greta Chen, lawyer representing the state, said some of the staff in question had post-traumatic stress disorder and had answered questions sufficiently via statements. 

Police evidence indicates the castle was held down with pegs at four of its eight anchorage points, while a Zorb ball barrier was held down with pegs at six of 32 points. 

The inquest was shown pegs and star pickets in the back of a Taz-Zorb trailer at the school, which Const Wotherspoon said were ‘readily available’ for use. 

Const Wotherspoon said in his professional opinion, which included decades of search-and-rescue operations, the castle was insufficiently tethered. 

Tasmanian Health Service executive Paula Hyland told the inquest issues in identifying the children had hampered the information flow to parents. 

However, it did not affect the care they received, she said. 

More than 40 paramedics and aeromedical staff responded, with Ambulance Tasmania boss Nicole Ashworth indicating nothing more could have been done to change the outcome. 

State forensic pathologist Andrew Reid said he didn’t believe any different medical or surgical interventions could have saved the children. 

The coroner has evidence from witnesses who say the weather was calm and virtually windless on the morning of the tragedy. 

Ms Gamble had successfully set up inflatable equipment at previous end-of-year celebrations at the school, counsel assisting the coroner Maree Norton said during opening submissions. 

Ms Gamble was supervising on the day and had a policy of not operating the castle if winds were tipped to exceed 25km/h, Ms Norton said. 

The Bureau of Meteorology forecast for December 16 was light winds, reaching 15 to 20km/h by the evening, she said. 

Lawyers representing the families, as well as Ms Burt, say the oval was a known windy spot. 

The initial police response was made confusing by a lack of a clear chain of command and some exhibits were not packaged appropriately as evidence, Const Wotherspoon said. 

However, this likely had no material impact on subsequent investigations, he said. 

The inquest will hold further hearings in November and February. 

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Andy Burnham has indicated that he could introduce a new “death tax” capable of raising billions of pounds to finance an NHS-style social care system, arguing that support must be free at the point of use.

The Prime Minister said he was willing to “grasp the nettle” and establish a National Care Service, even if the move made him “unpopular” after years of political deadlock over social care reform.

Mr Burnham said the death of his father, Roy, last week had strengthened his resolve to tackle the care system’s shortcomings. His father needed support after developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Speaking to the BBC as the Labour conference opened in Liverpool, Mr Burnham said the proposed reforms would feature in Labour’s manifesto for the next general election.

His comments suggested that tax increases could be needed. Mr Burnham said Labour’s 2024 manifesto commitments made it “hard to do in this Parliament”, meaning he would present his plans to voters at the next election, expected in 2029.

“I am prepared to put myself in that position, recognising that it might be difficult or unpopular with some,” he said.

Chris Philp, the Tory shadow minister, responded: “We do not support tax increases. This country is already taxed too highly.”

A care service modelled on the NHS and free at the point of use could cost as much as £18.5 billion a year by 2035/36, according to estimates from the Health Foundation think tank.

Mr Burnham dismissed that figure, arguing that a stronger social care system would reduce pressure on the NHS by preventing people from requiring emergency treatment or hospital beds.

He added: “People are paying care charges now. They are using tens of thousands of pounds from their savings and, in some cases, losing their homes.

“That is what is happening at the moment. So to suggest there is no cost to people today is wrong — there is an enormous cost.”

“Social care in England is as unfair as American healthcare, where the most vulnerable people can lose everything. They can be wiped out not only by the condition they have, but financially as well.”

Mr Burnham told the BBC that social care should operate according to NHS principles.

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Under that approach, “everyone contributes, everyone is covered”. However, he noted that Baroness Casey has been asked to develop the detailed proposals.

Mr Burnham said his conference speech on Tuesday would set out a “vision” for reform, but ruled out introducing changes before the general election, insisting that the public would need to approve them.

“I won’t leave office without having grasped this nettle,” he told the Mirror in a separate interview.

“It is a priority for me, and I will face it. And it may make me unpopular, but I’m going to do it,” Mr Burnham added.

Mr Burnham is also facing a turbulent Labour conference, with ministers divided over migration and figures on the Left accusing him of “ghosting” them.

The PM is in Liverpool kicking off his first gathering since ousting Keir Starmer – but with mounting evidence that the same bitter infighting will blight his leadership.

Tensions have flared after Angela Rayner doubled down on her criticism of Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s ‘un-British’ plans to make it harder for migrants to gain permanent residence in the UK. 

Ms Rayner insisted this morning that there were ‘no splits’ and pointed out that Mr Burnham wanted ministers to ‘do politics differently’ by speaking out. ‘We’re not having an argument about immigration, we’re having a conversation – a national conversation,’ she told Sky News.  

But the Housing Secretary’s intervention has been described by MPs as a ‘drive-by shooting’.

Meanwhile, Left-wingers have been openly sniping at Mr Burnham’s approach. Clive Lewis – once such a fervent ally suggested he could stand down so the former Manchester mayor could re-enter the Commons – said the PM had ‘left his allies behind’ on entering No10 and behaved ‘terribly’.

The PM also fuelled fresh doubts about the Heathrow Airport expansion – just weeks after his Chancellor backed it.

Mr Burnham repeatedly refused to endorse the scheme to build a third runway, suggesting it was a matter ‘for London‘ and the Government was waiting for the outcome of a consultation.  

But John Healey told the Commons earlier this month that the Government supports the project.

Mr Burnham has a record of attacks on the proposal going back years. In January last year the then-Manchester mayor branded it a ‘model for an ever-overheating UK economy’, warning it could not come at the ‘expense of essential investment in northern infrastructure’.

Yesterday Heathrow revealed that the project could be delayed four years until 2039.