Television chef Dipna Anand has opened up about years of fertility struggles, revealing that she experienced repeated pregnancy losses while continuing to appear on television and work in the food industry.
Anand, 42, and her husband, Satpal, 51, have spent years trying to have a child. During that time, she has endured multiple miscarriages and unsuccessful rounds of in vitro fertilisation (IVF), according to her account.
Despite the emotional and physical toll, Anand continued appearing on cooking programmes, including ITV’s James Martin’s Saturday Morning and the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen. Viewers watching her on screen had little idea of what she was experiencing privately.
“I’ve heard the words: ‘Dipna, I’m really sorry’, so many times,” she said while describing the repeated disappointment of pregnancy scans.
Why Dipna Anand decided to share her fertility journey
Anand said she had originally planned to share her story only after having a baby. However, she eventually decided that speaking openly about pregnancy loss could help other women facing similar experiences.
“I had planned to wait until we had a baby to tell our story,” she explained. “But I think it’s important women talk more openly about miscarriage.”
She also highlighted the stigma surrounding pregnancy loss in some Indian families and communities, where fertility difficulties can be difficult to discuss openly.
“In Indian culture, particularly, it’s taboo – you are not supposed to talk about pregnancy failures,” she said.
Anand believes that sharing personal experiences can encourage other women to speak about their own struggles and help reduce the isolation that can accompany recurrent pregnancy loss.
A series of heartbreaking pregnancy losses
Anand’s fertility journey began in autumn 2022, when she discovered she was unexpectedly pregnant. Although the news came as a surprise, she said she was happy about the prospect of becoming a mother.
However, she began bleeding about a week later. A scan showed an empty gestational sac without a developing embryo.
She experienced further pregnancy losses in early 2023. Another pregnancy around the time of her wedding to Satpal initially gave the couple hope, but it did not progress.
During their honeymoon, Anand conceived again. An early scan indicated that she was expecting twins, but a subsequent scan in August 2023 showed that neither pregnancy had a heartbeat.
The loss was followed by a serious medical complication. After choosing medical management, Anand developed severe pain and heavy bleeding and was taken to the accident and emergency department.
She subsequently required emergency surgery to control a haemorrhage.
Anand later recalled the frightening experience and the emotional impact it had on both her and her husband.
Despite the ordeal, she wanted to continue trying for a child.
IVF treatment brought further challenges
Anand experienced additional pregnancy losses later in 2023 and during 2024. One pregnancy was ectopic, a condition in which a pregnancy develops outside the uterus and can become life-threatening without appropriate medical care.
The repeated losses left the couple searching for answers. Anand said that medical professionals had not been able to provide a clear explanation for what was happening.
In July 2024, she began IVF treatment in Prague. After an unsuccessful attempt, the clinic suggested considering an egg donor.
A subsequent attempt in February 2025 initially resulted in a positive pregnancy test, but the pregnancy did not continue.
Anand also described the physical and emotional effects of fertility medication. She said the hormonal treatment affected her mood and made her withdraw from people, including customers at the couple’s gastropub.
At one point, she told her husband that she no longer wanted to work as a chef or appear on television.
The experience was particularly difficult because her professional identity had previously been an important part of her life.
Online comments added to her distress
During her fertility treatment, Anand experienced weight changes that she attributed to the treatment. She said some social media users responded by making unkind comments about her appearance.
Comments about her weight and exercise routine affected her at a time when she was already struggling emotionally.
“I wish people thought more before making comments – you never know how much harm they might do,” she said.
Her experience highlights how assumptions about someone’s appearance can overlook private circumstances, including medical treatment and fertility difficulties.
A pregnancy in 2026 brought hope and heartbreak
In 2025, Anand and her husband travelled to India for fertility treatment involving an embryo created using a donor egg and donor sperm.
In January 2026, a subsequent embryo transfer resulted in a pregnancy. At an early scan, Anand saw a heartbeat for the first time, an experience she described as deeply emotional.
However, a later scan showed that one of the twins had stopped developing while the other initially appeared to be progressing.
The couple continued to hope for a positive outcome. But around Mother’s Day in 2026, Anand noticed bleeding and became concerned that something was wrong.
At a subsequent scan, she received the devastating news that the pregnancy had been lost.
She underwent surgical management and returned to work soon afterwards.
Anand said this particular loss had been especially difficult to process.
In the months that followed, she conceived naturally again and saw a heartbeat on an early scan. At the next scan, however, the heartbeat was no longer present.
After experiencing so many losses, she said she had little emotional energy left to cope with another disappointment.
Why work helped Dipna Anand cope
Throughout her fertility journey, Anand continued working, appearing on television and maintaining her professional commitments.
She said that staying busy helped her manage the grief, while support from family and colleagues made it easier to continue.
“Some people prefer to stay home but I need to keep busy,” she explained.
“No one who saw me on TV or came to my gastro-pub or pop-ups had any idea what was going on – I just kept on going.”
For Anand, work offered a sense of familiarity at a time when other parts of her life felt uncertain.
Her experience also illustrates how people dealing with pregnancy loss may continue to fulfil professional responsibilities even while experiencing significant private distress.
The couple are considering their next steps
Anand and Satpal have spent approximately £30,000 on fertility treatment, according to her account.
After years of trying to conceive, the couple are researching other possible paths to parenthood, including adoption and surrogacy. They have also sought information and support from the pregnancy and baby-loss charity Tommy’s.
Anand said she has gradually begun to accept that their journey may not end in the way she originally imagined.
“I’ve come to accept that our journey might not end how I wanted it to,” she said.
Her decision to share the experience is intended to help others who may be going through similar difficulties feel less alone.
A conversation about miscarriage and fertility struggles
Pregnancy loss can be an isolating experience, particularly when people feel unable to discuss it with family, friends or colleagues. Anand’s account brings attention to the emotional and physical challenges that can accompany repeated miscarriages and fertility treatment.
Her story is also a reminder that someone’s public appearance does not necessarily reflect what they are experiencing privately.
By speaking about her losses while continuing to work on television, Anand hopes to encourage more open conversations about fertility, grief and the support people need during difficult times.
For her, sharing the story is not about having all the answers. It is about making sure that other people facing pregnancy loss know they do not have to go through it in silence.
