Dedicating nearly a year of your life to give birth and hand over a baby seems like an impossible ask for many, but was worth every second for one Sheerness surrogate who did it for family.

After seeing her cousin struggle for nine years to get pregnant due to endometriosis and a split womb, Eastchurch mum Julie Garrett offered an ultimate act of kindness.

She told Vicky who she grew up with and described as “like a sister”, she would be a surrogate for her and her husband Gaz.

The mother-of-two explained she had no doubts about carrying her cousin’s child for nine months and that when baby Iris was born seeing Vicky hold her was worth every second.

She said: “When they handed Vicky her baby and she was holding her, talking to her, looking into her eyes for the first time, it made everything go away and made the whole experience worthwhile.

“It was a reminder of exactly why I did it. It was so worth it.”

Vicky drove Julie to the hospital at 6am, as her car wasn’t working at the time, and was with her the whole time during the birth which she said made it “extra special”.

'Vicky and her husband Gaz really are the most deserving and loving parents I have ever known...'

Iris is now eight and living with Vicky and Gaz in Portsmouth - but it’s only recently that the remarkable gesture has been recognised nationally in a bid to find Britain’s nicest people by Gala Bingo.

Julie revealed despite being bombarded with questions from people asking how she would be able to hand the baby over, it was an easy process.

“She is Vicky and Gaz’s child,” the 39-year-old Forth Avenue resident said.

“I didn’t think about not handing her over for a second. So many people would ask me about it, but she isn’t mine to give up.

“Vicky and her husband Gaz really are the most deserving and loving parents I have ever known.

When asked if she would every be a surrogate again, Julie said: “No. Never again. It was a hard pregnancy mentally as well physically.

“I don’t think my husband would ever let me again. If he had known what he was in for he might have said no.”

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