“She’s not going to be gossip”: Priyanka Chopra shuts down trolls who say she outsourced her pregnancy by using a surrogate
Priyanka Chopra has opened up about daughter Malti Marie's frightening preterm birth as she stands up for her right to medical privacy when it comes to her and husband, Nick Jonas' reasons for using a surrogate.
Just over one year ago, Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas welcomed their sweet babe, Malti Marie via a surrogate. It was frightening time as their pair were unsure if their daughter would survive her preterm birth, however one year on the trio are thriving and little Malti Marie joined her very famous mum as she shot her stunning cover for British Vogue’s February 2023 issue.
Born three months premature, Malti Marie, who turned one on January 15, was embraced by 40yo Priyanka as she posed for the shoot where she spoke out for the first time about her daughter’s shaky start.
1yo Malti Marie was born three months premature.
“I’ve been really protective of this chapter of my life with my daughter …”
For former Miss World winner Priyanka and 30yo Nick, Malti Marie’s birth was not what any expecting parent imagines. Arriving a whole trimester before her due date, Priyanka describes her as: “So small, smaller than my hand.”
“Nick and I were both standing there as they intubated her,” she explained. “I don’t know how they even found what they needed [in her tiny body] to intubate her.”
And while fans around the world were desperate for the details of the arrival of the child of Bollywood royalty and a pop superstar, the couple have remained tight lipped.
“I’ve been really protective of this chapter of my life with my daughter,” revealed Priyanka. “Because it’s not about my life only. It’s hers too.”
Fans have been desperate to know details of the star couple’s life.
“I didn’t know if she would make it or not.”
For 100 days following Malti Marie’s birth, her celebrity parents travelled daily to the neonatal intensive care unit to be with their daughter.
“We spent every single day with her on my chest, on my husband’s chest,” Priyanka recalled. “I didn’t know if she would make it or not.”
Fortunately, the outcome was incredible and little Malti Marie has been home with her family as her mum, who Time named one of the ‘100 most influential people in the world’ and who Forbes listed among the ‘World’s 100 Most Powerful Women’, finally takes a break from her gruelling work schedule to spend a year at home.
“It’s been 20 years of hustling and working at breakneck speed. I’ve always been like, ‘What’s the next thing?’ […] But now I feel I have a centre, a sense of calm, because every decision ends up being about her.”
“I didn’t know if she would make it or not.”
“She’s not going to be gossip”
The new mum also chose the interview to address the criticism and speculation that she Nick endured for using a surrogate. Insensitive commenters accused the Bollywood star of ‘outsourcing’ her pregnancy in order to focus on her career.
“Just because I don’t want to make my medical history public doesn’t give you the right to make up whatever the reasons were,” the staunch mum declared.
Defending her right to medical privacy, Priyanka told Vogue that she would go into details about her reasons, stating only that: “I had medical complications so this was a necessary step, and I’m so grateful I was in a position where I could do this.”
When it comes to the critics, Priyanka draws a hard line when it comes to her daughter.
“I’ve developed a tough hide when people talk about me,” she stated. “But it’s so painful when they talk about my daughter. I’m like, ‘Keep her out of it.’
“I know what it felt like to hold her little hands when they were trying to find her veins. So no, she’s not going to be gossip.”
The February issue of British Vogue featuring the mum and daughter duo and Priyanka’s full interview is available on newsstands and digital download on Tuesday 24th January.
