HOLDING hands with her husband, Sean, Katie Gavin wept tears of joy as her twins were delivered by C-section.
It was a moment she never thought she’d experience after a devastating loss three years before – and it was all down to the incredible kindness of a perfect stranger.
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Because it wasn’t Katie who’d given birth to her girls. The woman whose hand she was also holding, Danielle Clements, had brought little Farah and Celine into the world, as her husband, Jim, looked on proudly.
“We didn’t know the sex of the babies before they were born, but as they were taken out, a doctor held the babies up, and Danielle announced they were girls,” says Katie.
“It was amazing, and I’ve never experienced anything like it.”
Years earlier, Katie, from Coulsdon, Surrey, was left devastated after she gave birth to a stillborn baby and was told she would never carry a child again.
The 37-year-old, who is already mum to Jude, five and Alenna, four, was rushed to Epsom Hospital in Surrey in January 2023, when she was 38 weeks pregnant with her third baby, Drew.
She suffered an internal abruption, where the placenta separates from the uterus before delivery.
“It was tragic, because there was absolutely nothing wrong with him. He was a gorgeous boy.
“But they told my family that they couldn’t save me, as my life was at risk too, and to say goodbye. I had 21 blood transfusions.”
The next thing Katie remembers is waking up in intensive care.
She says: “I knew from the pain I was in that they had taken my uterus. The doctor said: ‘I’m so sorry. You’ll never carry a child again.’”
Amid her grief, the heartbroken mum posted her devastating story on a Facebook forum called Missing Piece and struck up an extraordinary friendship with a stranger that would change both their lives forever.
Katie told how she had pleaded with doctors to save her ovaries and eggs before they removed her womb when Drew’s birth resulted in an emergency hysterectomy.
Her moving post struck a chord with Danielle Clements, 36, from Southampton, and the pair started messaging in February 2025. Danielle had joined the group hoping to find a family in need of a surrogate mum.
Already a full-time mum of five and stepmum of two, Danielle felt a pull to help her new friend and swiftly offered to be a surrogate for singer Katie and Sean, 38.
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Danielle said: “I actually offered to carry for Katie and Sean before officially meeting them – it just felt right.”
Katie was thrilled at Danielle’s extraordinary offer and the two women arranged to meet for the first time on 25 February 2025 for lunch at Wagamama in Whiteley, near Southampton.
Katie took balloons emblazoned with ‘Team Bob ’, which is the nickname the foursome had come up with for themselves.
Danielle added: “As part of the surrogacy process, you have to consult with lawyers separately to ensure you all know and understand the legal side of surrogacy.”
After four rounds of IVF, Danielle finally gave birth to their twin girls, Celine and Farah, in May, weighing a healthy 6lb 6oz and 6lb 5oz.
And now Katie and Danielle, a former social care worker and now a stay-at-home mum, have forged an unbreakable bond.
“The twins are an absolute miracle,” says Katie.
“To go through something like that and have another woman help you in that way is like something out of a fairytale.”
Danielle, who had wanted to be a surrogate since she was a teenager, adds: “I feel privileged to have been able to do it for the first time.
“I remember when I was 14 and a friend was worried her irregular periods might mean she couldn’t have kids. I said I’d do it if I could.”
For Katie, meeting Danielle on Facebook was a turning point she couldn’t have seen coming.
“I was 33 and faced with infertility. I felt suicidal,” she says.
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“I would have gone to the end of the earth to try and have another child, but I never thought I’d meet a surrogate.”
Surrogacy is a complex process in the UK, where the law states that whoever gives birth to a child is their legal parent, regardless of genetics.
Intended parents must attend a family court and receive a parental order to gain custody.
It is also illegal to pay a surrogate, although the intended parents can pay reasonable expenses such as maternity clothes, the cost of attending medical appointments and taking time off work.
Katie and Sean reimbursed Danielle for travel expenses and the additional childcare she needed during the pregnancy.
Danielle adds: “It was never about the money. I’m sure some people would judge me for it, but all our friends and family were very supportive of my decision.
“I never experienced any negative comments or trolling at all; everyone has been so kind.
“The only comments I ever got were people saying, ‘I don’t think I could do it’ or ‘How was giving away the babies?’ and I explained I didn’t give them away; I gave them back to their parents.
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“I was just growing their seed. As I say, it was their seeds in my garden – I even made tops for us all saying that, and we wore them to each transfer.”
There were just under 1,000 children born following surrogacy arrangements in 2025 – double the number in 2015, according to new figures from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).
But a report by the Law Commission is urging the government to change the UK law so there will no longer be a requirement for the surrogate to be listed on the baby’s birth certificate.
Currently, the intended parents must apply for a parental order after the birth, which can take months.
Katie could not believe her luck when she met Danielle, who she calls ‘supermum’.
“I actually reached out to her because I loved her post and her dress and just had a feeling that we would really get on,” she says.
“We started chatting from there and got on like we had known each other for years. She was non-judgemental, a breath of fresh air.
“We were, of course, getting to know each other for some time before Danielle and her husband decided that we were going to be the lucky family they wanted to help.
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“I thought we would have to go abroad, but we couldn’t afford to do that unless we sold our house, which wasn’t justifiable.
“They changed our lives forever in the best way with the greatest gift anyone could ever give.”
Danielle says she and her husband, Jim, 30, a maintenance worker, reached the decision together once their own family was complete.
“I was always adamant that when I became a surrogate mother, I wouldn’t use my own eggs,” she says.
“I don’t think I could be mentally this strong about being a surrogate if they were my eggs, and I wouldn’t want to put that to the test.
“I would only house a baby, and I had to have my own children first.
“Jim and I first met in 2021, and I told him then that one day I wanted to be a surrogate, so it wasn’t a complete shock.
“Of course being a surrogate was always my dream, always something I wanted to achieve, so I can’t say he was over the moon about it, but he wanted to be a part of something beautiful and wanted to support me.”
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Danielle is already mum to Alysia, 19, Riley, 16, Poppy, 10, Arthur, 9 and three-year-old Rex.
“We had our fifth child three years ago, and my husband had a vasectomy, so it seemed like the right time, and that’s when I decided to go on the forums.
“I initially posted on the Facebook forum for advice. I was happy to do it that way or go via an agency; I didn’t really know much about either process to be honest until I spoke with surrogates on the forum.
“As Katie knew so much about it, as well as the support from the groups, which was amazing, I felt comfortable enough to do an independent journey.
“When I got chatting to Katie, it immediately felt like talking to a friend.”
In June 2025, Danielle underwent the first transfer at the Lister Fertility Clinic in London, but the embryo wasn’t strong enough
“They realised within a few weeks it had not worked and tried a second transfer at the same hospital in August. It was successful, but Danielle miscarried at six weeks.
She said: “This was one thing I definitely underestimated, as it was really hard emotionally telling Katie and Sean I had miscarried, after only telling them a week before that I was pregnant.
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“We are very close and stayed in contact daily anyway, and me and Katie have genuinely formed a forever beautiful friendship.”
However, it was third time lucky with the embryo transfer in September 2025.
Katie says: “Danielle sent me a video of the positive pregnancy test. We were all in tears because it had finally worked.”
Katie, Danielle and Sean all attended the pregnancy scans together, introduced their children to each other and spoke everyday, sharing videos of the growing bump and chatting about their kids
Danielle explained: “There were no complications as such; I was just very nauseous and had some sickness.
“I got bad hips with my own pregnancies, and that happened earlier on with the twins, but I think that was due to carrying two babies.
“I did have extremely low iron, so I had to have an iron transfusion.”
The two women met frequently throughout the pregnancy, enjoying walks and meals together. They would also get their families together for days out to farms, and for barbecues and sleepovers at each other’s houses.
Katie even gave an emotional speech at her baby shower, thanking Danielle, who was also there to celebrate.
Attending hospital appointments together caused a few humorous misunderstandings.
“We kept getting looks as if to say, ‘Who’s Mum?’ and my husband kept laughing,” says Katie.
“But the Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton was amazing throughout. They knew the arrangement; the midwives called me Mum, and they made exceptions so we could all be in the delivery suite.
“Danielle would joke: ‘It’s their seed, my garden’.”
Despite carrying the babies for nine months, Danielle says she didn’t have to “grapple” with her emotions when it came to handing them over to Katie. Surgeons cut the umbilical cords.
“I never once thought of them as my babies,” she says. “Katie did not ever have to worry I would change my mind.”
“For me, the best moment was seeing Katie and Sean having the first cuddle. I didn’t have any regrets, even fleetingly.
“There was no emotional wrench at all when I left the hospital without the babies.
“I was happy to go home, get a full night’s sleep in my own bed and get back to my children.
“I also became a grandma the week before the twins were born, so I wanted to get back to full health to support my daughter with her first baby.”
Now, the two women are closer than ever. Danielle is godmother to the twins and will see them regularly. All their other children understand the situation, and they will explain it to the twins when they are older, too.
The girls are now at home in Surrey and thriving, after just two nights in hospital, with Katie saying they are “polar opposites” personality-wise.
“Farah is more serious,” she says. “She looks like a little doll and wants to be held the whole time. Celine is more smiley and giggly.
“If I could give someone hope anywhere that there are these groups of lovely people that will actually help, that would be amazing. Our family is complete now; we don’t want any more children.”
Danielle adds: “I’d definitely do it again if the timing was right for my family, as it took me away from them a lot.
“I’m not a big drinker, so giving up alcohol wasn’t an issue, but having the energy to see my friends as much as I normally would, even for a coffee catch-up, was hard.
“A few of my friends kept saying how much they missed me, but I just didn’t have the energy – the twins took it all from me.
“Between them and running my house with all the children, supporting my daughter and being a grandma, I was too tired for my own personal life.
“But I knew it was all for a short period of time and for a beautiful reason that I chose to take part in.
“So many people say to me they could never give away their baby, but they’re not my babies.
“Mum and Dad had the first cuddle, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY Sapphire Hope and Alexandra Snow