Emotional Gemma Collins reveals horror of wetting herself in public as ‘flood gates’ opened on a trampoline
GEMMA Collins has revealed she has secretly been battling incontinence.
The 43-year-old thought she was dying when she first discovered there was an issue and the ‘flood gates’ opened while she was on a trampoline.
Bravely recalling what happened as she raised awareness about the topic, Gemma opened up to Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary on This Morning.
She explained how she took her nephew and step son to a trampoline park, but swiftly realised there was an issue.
Gemma said: “I start jumping. All of a sudden the floodgates open. I’m in mid-air and I’m like, am I dying?”
She continued: “I don’t want to ruin the kids’ day. I’m soaking wet and this is just shocking. So, I went to the loo and it was water. And then I was just like, ‘I’m going to die.I need an operation. Something’s happened to me’.
“I’m jumping mid-air, thinking ‘am I’m pregnant and the water’s breaking?’.
“I’m so embarrassed. I’ve not even had kids yet.”
The devastated star admitted the experience really affected her and she sought help.
“So, I was beside myself. I remember going home. My fiancé wanted to go for dinner that night. I was just feeling so low, ” she explained.
“I went into the bathroom. I started crying. I was like, my life’s over. It was just so bad.”
But Gemma finally saw there was a way through and she wasn’t alone.
She said: “Then, obviously, I did my research and 1 in 55% of women in the UK are experiencing this. All shapes, all sizes, all ages. Opener to me as well. It’s affecting so many women’s confidence.
“And like me, if I’m going on holiday, I want to do what the kids are doing. I want to go on the jet ski and, you know, be that fun person that I am.
What is incontinence?
Incontinence is a common condition and happens because of problems with the muscles and nerves that help the bladder hold or release urine.
You may leak urine when you cough or sneeze.
Or you may have a sudden urge to go but can’t get to the bathroom in time.
What are the different kinds of urinary incontinence?
There are five basic types:
- Stress incontinence causes you to leak urine when you sneeze, cough, laugh, lift heavy objects, exercise, or do other things that put pressure on your bladder
- Urge incontinence, also known as overactive bladder (OAB), is when you leak urine after feeling a sudden, strong urge to go
- You may have OAB if you have to go eight or more times a day and more than once at night. Or you may feel the urge to go when you touch or hear running water. There’s also a dry form of OAB: You get the urge to go even if your bladder is empty
- Mixed incontinence is when you have stress and urge incontinence at the same time. This is more common in women.
- Overflow incontinence, which is more common in men, is when you are not able to empty your bladder completely, so you may leak urine once your bladder is full
- Functional incontinence happens when a medical condition, like arthritis, keeps you from getting to the bathroom in time
Source: WedMD
“But living with that fear that people have on a daily basis really affected my confidence.”
She has now mostly reserved the issue thanks to doing pelvic floor exercises after fearing she would need surgery.
“I have almost reversed my incontinence by 95% by doing my pelvic floors,” she said.
“I was in Benidorm two days ago. I was laughing my head off. A little bit come out, but nothing like what it would normally do.”