Ruth Madeley has opened up about the heartbreaking moment doctors told her mum there was “little hope” after she was diagnosed with spina bifida before she was born.
The Who Do You Think You Are? star, 38, features in tonight’s BBC genealogy series as she uncovers a long-hidden secret on her father’s side of the family.
But while many viewers know Ruth from roles in Doctor Who, Years and Years and The War Between the Land and the Sea, some may not know the story behind why she uses a wheelchair.
Ruth Madeley appears in Who Do You Think You Are? (Credit: BBC)
Ruth Madeley’s mum was given ‘little hope’
Six weeks before Ruth was born, doctors discovered she had spina bifida, a condition where a baby’s spine and spinal cord do not fully develop during pregnancy.
Looking back on the diagnosis, Ruth has revealed the bleak outlook her parents were given.
Writing for the BBC, she explained: “My mum’s experience from her obstetrician 31 years ago was very negative when they discovered I had spina bifida just six weeks before I was born.
“They told my mum that I would never walk and that I would have many other health complications – not offering my family much hope for me at all.
“Termination was never an option for my mum but, met with such negativity from professionals, she was naturally very worried about my health and whether I would live or not.”
Thankfully, Ruth survived, although it later became clear she would always have difficulty walking.
She also developed scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, and underwent numerous operations throughout her childhood.
Why does Ruth Madeley use a wheelchair?
Ruth has used a wheelchair since she was a young child.
When she was five years old, children’s charity Whizz Kidz gave her a custom-made pink wheelchair – something she still remembers fondly.
She previously told The Times: “It was so cool-looking. Barbie on wheels. That was all I ever wanted to be.”
Rather than holding her back, Ruth says her family always encouraged her to believe she could achieve anything.
Speaking in Who Do You Think You Are?, she reflects: “Those secondary school years… those teenage years were really, really hard. But it was never seen as a reason not to achieve or to not be happy.
“I never grew up seeing anyone on screen that looked like me.”
Ruth was diagnosed with spina bifida before she was born (Credit: BBC)
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