Stacey Dooley has revealed she suffered an ectopic pregnancy last year that resulted in emergency surgery after doctors discovered she was bleeding internally.
The 38-year-old presenter underwent the operation at Liverpool Women’s Hospital following the traumatic medical emergency.
Speaking on the What’s The Tea, Amy? podcast with Amy Jackson Westwick, Ms Dooley opened up in detail about the experience for the first time.
“I fell pregnant last year, and it didn’t go brilliantly,” she said. “It was ectopic and it was all dramatic.”
Stacey Dooley shared her story for the first time
|What's The Tea, Amy? / YOUTUBE
Explaining the seriousness of the situation, she added: “Everything was quite dramatic and it was like, ‘you’re bleeding internally’, and I had to go for immediate surgery.”
Ms Dooley admitted it took a long time to emotionally process the loss, revealing she struggled to speak about it without becoming overwhelmed.
“I couldn’t talk about it for such a long time without bursting into floods of tears,” she said. “But now I can.”
The Luton-born documentary maker described how events unfolded rapidly once medical staff identified the internal bleeding, calling the experience deeply challenging.
Ms Dooley admitted it took a long time to emotionally process the loss
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She has previously spoken emotionally about the loss during an episode of her BBC series Stacey Sleeps Over, where she said: “It was ectopic and it was really f****** difficult,” apologising as she became tearful.
According to NHS figures, ectopic pregnancies affect around 11,000 women each year in the UK.
Despite the frightening circumstances, Ms Dooley said she found comfort in the humour and warmth of hospital staff caring for her.
Recalling a moment just before being put under anaesthetic, she said: “I remember I was lying on the bed, about to go under, because it was all going t*** up. The girl goes to me, ‘here you are girl, have some lovely Scouse air’, as the mask was going on.”
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Stacey Dooley and partner Kevin Clifton
|The remark reassured her during the ordeal. “I thought, do you know what, I’m in capable hands,” she added.
Podcast host Jackson Westwick agreed, noting the hospital’s strong reputation for care.
Ms Dooley shares daughter Minnie with her partner Kevin Clifton, whom she met on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018.
The pair won the series together before beginning a relationship the following year.
Their daughter was born in January 2023, and the family now live in Merseyside, having relocated to be closer to Dooley’s mother.
She has since embraced life in Liverpool, even describing herself as an “honorary Scouser”.
Speaking previously about the loss, Ms Dooley said the experience forced her to consider alternative paths to expanding her family.
“When you go through something like that, you are forced to think of alternatives,” she said. “S**** happens, and if you want a bigger family, you have to think how you’re going to do that.”
Ms Dooley said she found comfort in the humour and warmth of hospital staff caring for her
|GETTY
Ms Dooley has previously spoken openly about a range of personal health experiences, from reproductive health emergencies to long-term mental health challenges.
Following the birth of her daughter Minnie in 2023, she described the intense physical and emotional toll of sleep deprivation and the unexpected vulnerability that came with new motherhood.
While filming and reporting on Britain’s mental health crisis, Dooley has also reflected on her own history with anxiety and panic.
In late 2025, she announced a new series for 2026, The Clickbait Clinic, which will see her investigate unverified social media health trends in a bid to tackle health-related misinformation.