Hollyoaks actor Adam Rickitt says he’s been left infertile by an autoimmune disease.
The 42-year-old actor, who played Kyle Kelly on the Channel 4 soap, suffers from Ankylosing Spondylitis.
The star, who is married to Good Morning Britain reporter Katy Fawcett, 36, said his sperm count has been hugely affected by the chronic inflammatory disease that can cause vertebrae to fuse together.
Adam explained: “I have an autoimmune disorder called Ankylosing Spondylitis and one of the effects is decreased fertility.
“This lovely doctor was like, ‘Mr Rickitt, you’re supposed to have a sperm count of three million, you have two.
“I said, ‘Two million?’ He said, ‘No, you have two!”
Adam Rickitt says he’s been left infertile by an autoimmune disease (Image: ITV)
Adam was diagnosed when he and Katy first got together in 2011.
The star, who also used to play Nick Tilsley in Coronation Street, said people can be “brainwashed” into wanting kids, but he and Katy are content with their three dogs.
As the pair chatted to OK! Magazine, Katy added: “I didn’t really bat an eyelid. I was like, ‘Oh, that’s a shame, but we’ve got each other.’
“I know having kids is very important for a lot of people, so it’s almost a good thing it happened to us.”
The actor’s wife Katy said she ‘didn’t really bat an eyelid’ when Adam told her he was infertile (Image: adamrickitt/instagram)
Adam, whose character recently left Hollyoaks in a heartbreaking suicide storyline, recently revealed he was suicidal for 17 years.
He said: “It’s quite out there in the public forum that I had issues with an eating disorder but what I don’t think I have spoken about is my issues prior to that.
“For 17 years of my life I was essentially suicidal.
“It comes in peaks and waves but a great proportion of my adult life I did spend suicidal.”
(Image: Channel 4)
Adam told the Loose Women panel that his mental health problems first started age 13 and it was a long road to his recovery aged 30.
He added: “I got to 28 years old. I got a chance to go to New Zealand for work and it was meant to be three months but it turned out to be five years.
It was the first time in 15 years that I thought there was a chance of me being happy or normal.
“I made a conscious decision that I was going to do something about it.
“I was desperate to go and see someone and wave a magic wand and I would be cured, but that’s not how it works.”
The Hollyoaks cast and producers visited and worked closely with James’ Place, a unique centre for emergency male mental health, based in Liverpool, over the Kyle Kelly storyline.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123, or visit Mind’s website.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
