Erin Barnett who appeared on Love Island Australia, has stated that she can no longer have children after getting a complete hysterectomy.
The 28-year-old went on the inaugural season of the reality dating show in 2018, where she finished second behind Eden Dally.
Erin, who has gone on to become a prominent influencer in the years since appearing on the programme, posted a health update with her over 5,000,000 followers this week.
‘TODAY I HAD MY HYSTERECTOMY!’ she began.
‘I went in around 9am & have been in my room since 1pm. Surgery went really well!
‘We did have some trouble getting my pain under control in recovery, but we got there in the end.’
She added: ‘I’ve wanted this for years & I’m so overwhelmed with emotions now it’s happened.’
Erin then explained that she ‘never gave up advocating for myself and my body’.
She also told people to ‘remember we are all amazing with or without kids’ and having children did not ‘define you’.
‘Do whatever makes you happy and healthy.’
Erin has stated that in the days following the operation, she has been focused on coping with post-operative pain and has expressed her contentment with not being able to have children.
‘I’ve said it time and time again. Since I was 14/15 years old I’ve had issues with my reproductive organs,’ she wrote in an Instagram story.
‘I grew up knowing I’d struggle to have children. As time went on and I had numerous surgeries I was told I would have to do IVF.’
Adding she has suffered from polycystic ovary syndrome, Erin previously looked into freezing her eggs, but was told she was a ‘high risk patient’.
‘I came to accept the fact in this lifetime I won’t be a mother. It’s obvious that this is the path I was given and I don’t see the need to push for something that is clearly not meant for me,’ she added.
Erin has had 17 operations for severe endometriosis and PCOS since she was 14.
Erin told Nine Honey last year that she was in “around 1000 percent agony” every day and was afraid about nearing menopause, which comes with a greater risk of stroke or heart attack.
Around the same time, she posted on social media about having a fallopian tube and an ovary removed, two cyst ruptures, and being diagnosed with endometriosis, adenomyosis, and PCOS.
Erin went on to join up for I’m a Celebrity… after participating on Love Island. Get Me Out of Here! will return in 2020.
She’s been in a long-term relationship with lover Mick Russ, who has three teenage children.
Love Island is streaming on ITVX.
What is a hysterectomy?
A hysterectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the womb (uterus).
They are carried out to treat health problems that affect the female reproductive system.
It is not possible to get pregnant after the operation.
If you have not already gone through the menopause, you’ll no longer have periods, regardless of your age.
It’s more common for women aged 40 to 50.
