A Scots TV reporter's dream of becoming a mum has come after she welcomed her daughter 10 years after being diagnosed with cancer.
STV's lives life to the full interviewing Hollywood megastars for the broadcaster while battling leukemia .
But the 38-year-old entertainment journalist and her husband feared the disease meant they may never be parents.
Those fears are now a thing of the past thanks to one of Laura's family members who acted as a surrogate for the couple and yesterday gave birth to little Penelope.
The tot was delivered at 4.25am and weighs a healthy 7lb 8oz.
Announcing the news on Twitter, Laura said: "She is our heart. Our true miracle. [Our surrogate] was incredible and we will never be able to thank her enough.
"She’s our hero. Let the most incredible journey begin."
Laura was diagnosed with leukaemia in September 2009 after weeks of feeling unwell with what she suspected was flu.
She now takes powerful medication every day to help control her chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), with September 17 this year marking a decade since her diagnosis.
Marking the exact anniversary of her diagnosis with a routine appointment at the Beatson Cancer Centre , doctors told her that her cancer remains under control.
Medics previously advised Laura that, before falling pregnant, she would need to stop taking her life-saving medication and hope the cancer in her body remained stable.
She stopped taking the drugs and was closely monitored by her medical team. But the results were not as hoped.
Laura previously told the Record: “The cancerous cells increased at a worrying rate and I was told that, if I got pregnant, it could get to the stage where a decision would have to be made between saving my life and the baby’s.
“My husband and I were devastated. I felt that not only had cancer already zapped me of energy and possibly time, it had now also robbed me of the chance of having a little one.”
As they tried to come to terms with their heartache, a family member offered to carry their baby for them.
Laura added: “It was amazing. She offered to give us the most incredible gift. We will never be able to thank her enough.
Congratulations Laura!
