Former doctor and bestselling author Adam Kay has revealed that he is now the father of two babies via surrogacy.
The Jewish writer, who in 2017 published his memoirs of life as a junior doctor, said his life had been “absolutely transformed for the better” by his children.
“We have a very boring life, or we did until six months ago,” the This Is Going To Hurt author told Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs.
“Now, and this isn’t something that I’ve spoken about before, there is no calm whatsoever, because we’ve got two very young babies – Ruby, who’s six months, and Ziggy, who’s two months.”
The surrogate carrying Kay's first child had a "difficult pregnancy," he said, which ended with her going into labour four weeks before her due date.
His husband - Game of Thrones producer James Farrell - rushed to America to be with her as she gave birth.
“James got there on the only seat of the only possible flight and made it in time for Ruby's birth and I didn't,” Kay said.
“So many of my thoughts are about how to be a good father and how to get it right and how to be there, and I've started off very, very, very badly by missing it.”
Discussing the impact of his children on his life, Kay added: “I don’t need to explain the way that having kids changes your life, but it’s absolutely transformed it for the better and also ruined it,” he said.
“I’m obviously going to mess it up. But I think if I can somehow not project on to them, if I can let them describe their own routes through life – and if they’re as happy as they can be, as healthy as they can be, then hopefully they will forgive me for all the other mistakes I make on the way.”
Kay shot to fame after publishing his account of life working on an obstetrics and gynaecology ward in an NHS hospital, which was a Sunday Times bestseller and won book of the year at the 2018 UK National Book Awards.
In 2022, Kay was played by Ben Whishaw in a BBC adaptation of his memoir.
Speaking on Desert Island Disks, he said he was happy if his book put some people off a career in medicine.
“I’ve had, since the book came out, various angry messages from parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles saying, ‘my son, daughter, niece, nephew, grandchild, used to want to be a doctor. Then they read your book. What do you say to that?’
“And the answer, I’m afraid, is – good. Because if that book is going to put you off medicine, then medicine is really going to put you off medicine.”
The comedy writer - who was previously married to a woman before coming out as gay - grew up in a “Jew-ish” home in Dulwich, south London.
Speaking to the JC in 2017, he said: I went to cheder. Had a barmitzvah. I consider myself extremely culturally Jewish. It means a lot to me to be part of a — lower-case ‘c’ — community. I go to shul once a year max.”
