Actress Tina Malone has revealed that she is set to expand her family, by trying for a third child, with a surrogate.
The 54-year-old Shameless star shared the news in a candid interview with The Sunday People, revealing that she and her husband, Paul, will also be selecting the gender of their tot.
Tina - whose eldest daughter, Danielle, welcomed a daughter last year - was very public with her IVF journey with youngest child Flame, born in 2013. The actress admitted that the couple still have several embryos left, and with fears that Tina may be too old to conceive, they are opting for surrogacy.
"Some will say I am selfish and irresponsible for having another child at 54," she said, revealing that they are planning to choose a boy.
"They will moralise and abuse me - even so for selecting the sex of our baby, and everyone is entitled to their opinion. But I don't give two sh**s for what they think.
"I am doing this for Flame and for my husband, not just for myself. I am healthy, of sound mind, solvent - and a bloody brilliant mother."
Tina and Paul, 35, married back in 2009. After struggling to conceive, they underwent IVF; daughter Flame was born in 2013.
Tina has undergone a major body transformation over the past year, going from a size 28 to a size 6. She added that she is feeling better than ever, and has strong words for anyone who wants to question either her lifestyle choices or her decision to have another child.
My gorgeous hubby and beautiful 3yr old flame pic.twitter.com/XbbFNuO3eB
— Tina Malone (@TinaMalone23) January 9, 2017
"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," she said.
"So, if a hundred 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."
Of course, this isn't the first time that Tina has faced into a wave of criticism over her parenting choices. Just last year, she appeared on Loose Women to hit back at claims that, at age 53, she was too old to be a mum.
"I have more stamina, ability, time and confidence for my daughter," she said at the time, comparing herself as a mother now, to when she welcomed her first child at 17.
We're wishing Tina all the best with the journey ahead.
