Paris Hilton explains the 'traumatising' reason she used a surrogate

Paris Hilton and Carter Reum surprised fans earlier this month when they announced they'd become parents for the first time. Since then, the couple have shared the little boy's name – Phoenix – as well as the special meaning behind it, and Paris has opened up about the extreme lengths she was forced to go to to keep her surrogacy a secret.

Now, Paris has revealed the reason why she opted to use a surrogate to welcome her first child, following in the footsteps of other celebrities who welcomed children via surrogates.

When asked if the decision was anything to do with her age – Paris is 42 – she told Glamour this didn't have an impact, and she would have used a surrogate had she become a mother at any age.

"When I was in The Simple Life, I had to be in a room when a woman was giving birth and that traumatised me," the former reality TV star said of the reason she and Carter used a surrogate. "But I want a family so bad, it’s just the physical part of doing it."

Paris continued: "I’m just so scared… childbirth and death are the two things that scare me more than anything in the world."

Paris starred on The Simple Life alongside her on-again-off-again BFF, Nicole Richie, for five seasons from 2003 to 2007. The series followed the heiresses as they travelled across the US, staying with locals and trying their hands at manual labour and typically low-paying jobs such as farm work, cleaning and waitressing.

If pregnancy is impacting your mental health, or you're concerned about childbirth, head to the NHS website for more information on where to access support.

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