Last week, we had the absolute pleasure of catching up with Scottish TV presenter, Laura Boyd. Our Scottish customers have no doubt seen her on TV, as she is a regular on STV, but for those of you who don't know her, here is a little bit of background...
Laura, 39, is a well-known face - not only for her TV presenting, but as an ambassador and active fundraiser for various cancer charities. Tragically, she was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 2009.
At first, it was thought she may have Crohn’s or IBS, but when the results of her tests came in and she was told to return to the doctors, the last thing she was expecting to hear was the C word.
Although the cancer is now very much controlled, she is still living with it. She regularly visits hospital for checkups and treatment - something that became a very lonely affair in lockdown.
Laura and her husband Stephen dreamed of becoming parents, but for her to carry a pregnancy herself, she would need to stop taking her medication, putting her at risk of her cancer growing. However, Laura's sister-in-law came forward with the offer to be a surrogate.
They are now proud parents to beautiful 1 year old Penelope! Laura has set up an Instagram page – The Penny That Dropped – which gives a snapshot of their life and shares their surrogacy story. She also plans to make a series of YouTube videos, interviewing lots of people about their different experiences of fertility in order to support other people who might be experiencing similar things.
Personal life aside, Laura has also interviewed the likes of Sir David Attenborough, Sir Rod Stewart, Lewis Capaldi and many more. She has endured lots of physical challenges, travelled the world and been an all round female powerhouse.
We sat down (over Zoom) and talked career, cancer, cosmetics and more. A breath of fresh air, Laura was very open about her story and it was a real joy to speak with her.
You can listen to the full interview below! Enjoy...
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