Ferne McCann confessed she was "wincing" on today's This Morning while discussing her prolapsed bladder.
The former TOWIE star bravely opened up on having a leaking bladder after giving birth to baby Sunday in October 2017.
Ferne, 29, admitted she used to associated incontinence with the elderly and felt "embarrassed" about wetting herself.
The reality TV favourite said it started with a little bit of wee coming out when she sneezed but it became so bad she feared leaving the house.
Speaking on This Morning, Ferne said: "I think at first it was a bit of a joke between friends after giving birth to Sunday. I sneeze and a little bit of wee comes out. I do a star jump and lose control of my bladder."
"Over time it progressively got worse. I thought ‘this isn’t normal’. I feel very much in my prime. I feel with incontinence I associate that with the elderly. Definitely not someone of my age.
"For me it was really embarrassing. Even now sitting here I’m wincing a little bit. ‘Am I here on This Morning talking about this?’"
Ferne didn't even feel confident enough to go on dates, just in case it happened during an intimate moment, and stopped going to the gym.
On realising she needed support, Ferne explained: "For me it got to the stage it was effecting my day to day life. I couldn’t do cardio anymore. I feared going on long journeys. At work I wanted to act super professional.
"After speaking about it I was so blown away with the level of DMs I received from women having prolapsed bladders, bowels, wombs. I couldn’t believe how many women were suffering in silence."
She was joined by Dr Sara Kayat, who explained that the pelvic floor is a hammock of tissues and muscles that hoists up the organs.
When damaged through childbirth, the menopause or pregnancy, the hammock loosens and the organs above prolapse down.
Ferne confessed her mum had encouraged her to do pelvic floor exercises while she was pregnant - and she wishes she had listened.
She saw a physiotherapist who diagnosed a stage one prolapsed bladder, which can be treated with an eight-week programme of Kegel exercises, and is now feeling much more positive.
The First Time Mum star said: "I couldn’t feel it. Fortunately when I went to see a women’s physiotherapist I fond out it was a stage one prolapsed bladder.
It can be fixed doing kegel exercise. You can’t physically feel it, it’s the symptoms. Leakage and losing control."
*This Morning airs weekdays on ITV at 10.30am
