The Traitors' Charlotte Chilton's fertility struggle before Conor Maynard DNA bombshell
Charlotte Chilton, who appeared on series two of The Traitors, gave birth to her first child in October 2024, but she previously opened up about her fertility struggles.
Before giving birth to her daughter Penelope, The Traitors star Charlotte Chilton courageously revealed her battle with fertility issues.
In April 2024, the reality TV alum and recruitment manager announced her "miracle" pregnancy after sadly enduring several miscarriages and going through infertility treatments.
Although Conor Maynard was once rumoured to be the baby's father, he has put those claims to rest by confirming via a paternity test that he is not Penelope's dad.
Taking to his Instagram, Conor stated: "Earlier this week, I took a paternity test regarding Charlotte Chilton's baby girl, Penelope, in the presence of her legal representative. Today I've received the test results which confirm that I am not Penelope's father. I am glad that the speculation can finally be put to an end."
He added: "All I would ask is that people act with kindness in response to this news - there is a child at the heart of all of this and that should not be forgotten. I wish Charlotte and her family all the best. Conor."
The announcement follows nearly a year after Charlotte shared the joyful news of her pregnancy on Instagram. With a history of seven heartbreaking miscarriages, the teary-eyed TV star discussed her fears about possibly never being able to have a child, reports the Mirror.
"So I have been keeping a secret in a few of my pics ! ! The true glory is in my final pic! ! ! After 7 miscarriages over my 20s, failed Insemination, failed IVF I was told It probably won't happen for you. These words for a lot of woman, are the words you never want to hear! ," she disclosed.
"Yet someone decided I deserved a wish answering and I am now going to have my own little miracle. It was a rough start (never knew sickness could be so bad) but I'm starting to feel normal again! ! I wanted to share this with all my family, friends and #thetraitors fan base! ! It's been a shock to say the least but the most welcomed surprise ever! ! !".
During her stint on The Traitors, Charlotte had been romantically involved with her ex-wife Laura, and together, they had weathered a seven-year relationship before parting ways.
Confirming their joint struggles to MailOnline, Laura acknowledged their past efforts to start a family: "Do you know what we have had some great times together, we had a really cool wedding – Charlotte has been through a lot. We did go through IVF, we only had one cycle and that was unsuccessful," she recounted.
She went on to say that undergoing IVF had been "really difficult". She added: "I think for any couple going through it, whether they are in a same sex relationship or not, it is hard. And being the other party is hard. I don't think that gets spoken about enough. We went through it during Covid as well which was even harder as I wasn't able to attend any appointments with her and everything. I very much felt left out of it."
In an interview with The Sun in June 2024, Charlotte disclosed her struggles with getting pregnant due to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a condition affecting around one in every 10 women in the UK and can impact fertility due to irregular or absent periods.
Reflecting on her diagnosis, Charlotte shared her surprise when she discovered she was pregnant. She confessed: "I was flabbergasted as I have polycystic ovaries which means it is hard to get pregnant anyway and I truly believed I would miscarry like I had so many painful times before."
On October 13, 2024, Charlotte gave birth to her daughter Penelope at 3.53pm, who weighed 6lbs 7oz.
Announcing the joyous news on social media, she posted: "Princess Penelope has arrived and we have been enjoying our 'Penelope bubble' so much, I am going to be off the radar for a little longer, whilst I enjoy these magical moments with my precious girl! ! Thank you to all that have checked in to make sure I am ok! ! my heart is full."
During a candid conversation with The Sunday Mirror in November, the ex-The Traitors celeb disclosed her tough pregnancy journey – confessing that she had despised the experience.
She explained: "I loved the baby inside me, but everything else was s**t. I remember thinking, 'This is vile. Women lie to women and say, It's magical. There's nothing magical about this.'".
She continued revealing her health struggles: "I was really, really negative, but I did have SPD [Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction, which causes severe pelvic pain during pregnancy], gestational diabetes, I had an allergy to my hormones. I had everything, so I was constantly in and out of the hospital. I couldn't do much for myself. I had to stop working for the last three months."
However, despite her challenging pregnancy, Charlotte spoke with affection about being a mother to her daughter Penelope, saying, "She's just wonderful," and sharing how much she missed her when not together: "When I'm not with her, I feel like my arm has been chopped off. It's a huge adjustment, but I'm so in love."