This Morning star Ashley James has posed in incontinence pants after a difficult Paris weekend brought her ongoing birth injuries into sharp focus.
The star, 39, shared the candid update on Instagram on Sunday.
Her frank approach has also covered postpartum body changes and relationship pressures, including expectations around recovery after childbirth.
Ashley explained that her usual pads had been lost during the journey.
Fans and showbiz friends then offered support, while many women shared similar experiences in her direct messages.
She said those messages helped her reject the shame often attached to incontinence after childbirth.
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This Morning star Ashley James details her Paris incontinence ordeal
Ashley, 39, had travelled to Paris with her partner, Tommy Andrews, for a birthday trip centred on Celine Dion. However, she left her wash bag on the Eurostar.
It contained her incontinence pads, leaving Tommy to search for replacements in the French capital. She explained that parts of the Champs-Élysées were closed because of the Pope, complicating his search.
He eventually returned with incontinence pants instead. Posting a photograph in them, Ashley contrasted the practical reality with the glamorous appearance of the weekend.
She called the moment “very humbling”, but said practical necessity won out.
“I’m so grateful to have a partner who has never made me feel embarrassed about any of it, but also, that should be the bar. I have these birth injuries because I gave birth to our children, and so many of us live with birth injuries, with nowhere near enough postpartum care, while somehow being made to feel like the consequences are embarrassing or a failure on our part. They’re not. Our bodies go through huge, sometimes permanent sacrifices to bring children into the world, and we deserve support, not shame,” she added.
Ashley opens up about her birth injuries
Ashley said she developed faecal incontinence after the traumatic birth of her son in 2021.
She has attributed it to a missed third-degree tear and being stitched incorrectly after delivery.
The presenter said many women live with birth injuries while receiving too little postnatal care.
She also criticised the idea that lasting effects are embarrassing or represent a personal failure.
Ashley wrote: “Our bodies go through huge, sometimes permanent sacrifices to bring children into the world, and we deserve support, not shame.”
Ashley said some respondents described their experiences as a “dirty secret”.
Their accounts reinforced her belief that women should not feel shame about birth injuries.
She added that pelvic floor training remains part of her routine, while she continues postponing surgery. Despite that decision, she insisted the condition would not stop her from living fully.
This Morning star Ashley James reflects on Celine Dion show
The trip still ended on an emotional high.
Ashley had bought Celine music scores during childhood singing lessons, making the performance personally significant.
She also reflected on the singer’s return after stepping away following her stiff-person syndrome diagnosis.
After watching Dion’s documentary, Ashley said she knew more about what the singer had endured.
She described the night as especially moving and one she expected to remember.
Her lost wash bag was later returned, providing a welcome final twist to the weekend.
Read more: This Morning star Ashley James faces intense backlash as she sobs live on air over Southport Murders
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