BBC's Naga Munchetty vilified for not wanting kids after getting sterilised
Presenter Naga Munchetty has said that she was hit with a nasty backlashfor not wanting children. The BBC Breakfast host, who has previously shared that she was sterilised six years ago, said that she was described as "wicked" over the decision to "deny her parents grandchildren".
Naga, now 50, revealed earlier this year that she had opted for sterilisation after considering it the "only option" for her. She had the procedure back in 2019 and has since shared that her decision to not have kids with her husband, TV director James Haggar, has been met with criticism.
The broadcaster, who is said to have been in her mid-thirties made the couple decision, had the contraceptive coil fitted in 2017 but later had it removed, with it said to have not worked for her and caused her pain. Two years later she opted for sterilisation, which requires surgery to block or cut the fallopian tubes.
She previously told the Times in an interview published last month: "I knew I didn't want children and I didn't want to be reliant on hormones or the regimen of the pill because it didn't fit with my lifestyle. It felt like it was my only option."
Naga has now further discussed the situation with Saga magazine. She opened up about not wanting to become a parent in an interview with the outlet, as reported by the Daily Star, saying: "We liked the life we had and we wanted to pursue that life".
The BBC Radio 5 Live host described parenthood as "expensive" and "exhausting," adding that it's a "commitment for life". Naga went on to say that her own mother will tell her that she's "still [her] baby" and that she continues to "worry" about her.
Naga, who has previously shared that some people were "disrespectful" over her decision not to have children and told her she would change her mind, also reflected on receiving a backlash. She said: "I remember people saying 'that's so wicked! How can you deny your parents grandchildren?'"
She said that it was "hard" for her mother initially, but she "understands now". The presenter said that her mother admits it would have been "wonderful" to have grandchildren but finds it equally "wonderful" seeing Naga doing what she's doing and having become the person she is. Naga added: "Isn't that what we want for our children?"
Naga is said to write about her decision to not have children in her book It's Probably Nothing, which was released earlier this month. The book, centred on women's healthcare, draws on her own experience after being in pain from the age of 15 due to a condition that took her years to get diagnosed with.
Whilst promoting the book, she has spoken about being diagnosed with adenomyosis back in 2022. The condition involves the lining of the uterus growing into the muscle in the wall of the womb. The NHS states that symptoms can include painful periods, heavy bleeding, pelvic pain and bloating.
Speaking on ITV 's Lorraine two weeks ago, Naga said of her periods: "Mine involved extreme pain, doubled over in pain, throwing up, passing out, cramps, fainting over and over again and really, really heavy periods to the point where I was setting an alarm at night to change my period products. Sleeping on a towel, lying on the floor, because if I was uncomfortable on the floor, then perhaps it could detract from the pain."
Naga said she was initially told that she would "grow out of it". She went on to share: "It was only because [decades later] I had a cyst on my ovary that I was having a scan, an ultrasound, that they found adenomyosis."
She added: "Even though it is diagnosed, there's no cure. So then it's just management through hormones or the option of hysterectomy, which I've refused to have."
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