Luke McLeod, the popular Bachelorette star from Sophie Monk's 2017 season, has announced that he is about to become a father, thanks to a sperm donation from his brother.
The 41-year-old and his wife, Brittany Bennett, 38, got married in 2023 in a romantic ceremony in New South Wales' Hunter Valley.
The couple had first gotten engaged in 2022, with McLeod proposing at the beach, and soon after began trying to conceive. However, after a year of unsuccessful attempts, he discovered the unexpected news that he had a sperm count of zero.
“I decided to do a fertility test (you can self-refer). When I got the results back, it said 0...” he shared with his Instagram followers.
McLeod's diagnosis of non-obstructive azoospermia, a condition where the testes fail to produce sperm, was a devastating blow.
According to The Herald Sun, the couple was faced with the reality of infertility, and despite undergoing surgery in an attempt to find viable sperm, the news only worsened: no sperm had been found.
“After the surgery, I was in a pretty dark place for a few months. Confused, angry, depressed, all of it,” he admitted. “I definitely put into practice every little thing I often talk about on here (using meditation to process emotions etc).”
With their hopes seemingly dashed, the pair looked into alternative options, including navigating the sperm donor process in New South Wales. However, they were met with more challenges: legal restrictions that limit donors to creating only five families, and donors cannot be compensated, leaving the couple with limited options.
Furthermore, they were shocked to learn that accessing a donor from the United States would cost $14,500.
As the situation seemed hopeless, McLeod's older brother generously stepped forward to donate his sperm.
This act of kindness gave the pair a renewed sense of hope, and Brittany is now 20 weeks pregnant with a baby girl after their first successful embryo transfer.
"Becoming a dad is something I always thought would just happen when I was ready," he shared on his Instagram. "It's been 4 years now since Britt and I started trying. Little did I know back then what ride we were in for."
He continued: "I'll share more about this over the coming weeks as it's an important message to share. For now, though, I'm incredibly excited to say that we're having a baby girl!! For all those trying out there. Stay strong and happy Dad Day!"
The Bachelorette star, who now runs his own meditation business, Soul Alive, also opened up about how this experience strengthened his relationship with his wife.
“It was this person that helped me the most. Reassuring me that we were in this together no matter what,” he said about Brittany, adding: “This wasn’t the end to our challenges, but it was [the] start to a new level of depth in our relationship."
Congratulations to the happy couple!