Ollie Lockes £500K IVF Struggles and Costs

has offered new insight into his 'humiliating' financial struggles, revealing he spent around £500,000 on and in his journey to fatherhood.

The star, 39, told the Daily Mail that he sold his former home to fund treatment with husband Gareth, 37, before the couple welcomed twins Apollo and Cosima via surrogacy in July 2023.

In an exclusive interview, Ollie described the emotional toll of their path to parenthood, including the loss of six pregnancies, which contributed to significant financial and personal strain.

The couple also faced further delays during the pandemic, which extended their efforts to conceive and build their family.

Following the sale of his property and substantial fertility-related costs, Ollie and Gareth moved into a £4million four-bedroom Chelsea home, where they later accrued £25,000 in unpaid rent before being forced to vacate the property in February.

Ollie said: 'When it came to IVF, we got advice from people, they said, I think you should probably look at £150,000. I said, okay, if I remortgage my house, I might get enough money to do that. 

'We sold the house and someone gave us an offer that was alright, so we took that. But at that point, we had to. The bills were through the roof, and we lost six growing babies through miscarriage and then we got two in the end, but it cost us £500,000. 

'We wanted these children so desperately, but we didn't expect to go through four years because of Covid and all the laws.' 

The couple spoke to the Daily Mail about their financial struggles, revealing they currently owe £45,000 in unpaid rent, late fees and legal costs after missing three months' rent.

They are being held liable for the costs owed, alongside a third tenant who lived at the property and is named on the tenancy agreement. She paid her rent directly to Ollie and Gareth, but the money was not passed on to the landlord. 

Ollie said he felt 'humiliated' and suffered a 'breakdown' amid the stress of the situation, adding that he and Gareth are '100 per cent' committed to repaying the money owed so they can move forward with their lives.

'I feel horrendous. Not only with different friends who are showing their true colours and have broken my heart, but physically, I have been the most depressed I have been in my entire life. This has pushed me to have a breakdown which has been incredibly hard', he explained.  

However, Gareth suggested their situation is not unusual, questioning: 'But does everyone else pay their rent? Everyone else has financial issues, whether it's paying a credit card bill late or paying their rent late.'

He said the pair's financial priorities shifted after becoming parents, noting that the costs of raising their twins, who were born at 31 weeks, continue to rise.

Due to the 'sporadic' nature of their careers as TV stars and influencers, Gareth insisted having a full-time nanny is a necessity, though he added that full-time childcare is 'expensive.' 

He said: 'Last year, because we were aware that our finances were becoming tighter, we weren't going on holidays. 

'We have kids, kids are expensive, and we don't care about ourselves anymore; we're putting them first. Ours were born premature so there have been extra costs and things we need to help with their development. 

'Twins are not the easiest thing in the world, especially when we have careers that are sporadic. Last year we filmed five different TV shows and it's like we're asked, 'can you come and film at this time?' and then we're like right, the twins, how do we do this? 

'In order for us to fulfil what we need to do to support them, we need childcare and it's expensive.' 

As well as their childcare costs, Ollie says the twins being born prematurely has also led the couple to spend more on their developmental support.

Apollo and Cosima were cared for at Durham, Sunderland and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital before being taken home in 2023.

Their fathers announced their birth with an at-home shoot from their former Chelsea home for a glossy magazine, writing: 'It's been quite the adventure so far and you can read the whole story in this week's @hellomag with some beautiful photos of us at home with the new lights of our lives! 

'Also make sure to catch up on new episodes of 'Our Daddy Diaries' every week on YouTube.'

But now, almost three years later, Ollie says the children are yet to speak a word, and the couple are heavily investing in costly speech therapy.

Ollie said: 'It's been a lesson. We all go through these bumps financially, especially with the cost of living becoming so expensive and so obscene. We're a family of four and we need to feed each other and try to keep up as much as we can.

'With premature babies, it costs us £1,000 a week because they're not ready to go to nursery; they're nonverbal. So, we're paying for special classes, and special help is a lot more money.'

Gareth added: 'One of the biggest issues around that time that we didn't expect was Covid. It was more drawn out and made the situation harder. 

'But we're like anybody else. We're in our 30s, building a family, running businesses, and we don't have a lot of disposable income. We wanted to have a family, so we planned it financially. It's been going well, but there have been a few bumps in the road.' 

After moving out of their rented £7,000-a-month property, Gareth told the Mail that their new home is just as expensive.

Gareth added that the dynamic between the couple amid their financial struggles has seen him remain strong while Ollie 'falls to pieces.'

He said: 'I try to be strong for Ollie and try not to let things get to me,' before Ollie interjected: 'I'm the emotional one and this has pushed me to have a breakdown, which has been incredibly hard.

'Gareth is quite stoic and I couldn't do life without him because it wouldn't make any sense.

'I need to cry and I've done it enough on camera, but I'm not this enormously strong person. I can defend myself in an argument, but I can't be publicly ridiculed.'

Ollie and Gareth married in 2020 at London's Natural History Museum, in scenes filmed for E4's Made In Chelsea. 

They say the next chapter in their lives is focused on raising their twins and physically moving away from the lifestyle of the rich and famous in west London. 

Ollie confessed he had been trying to keep up the facade of a luxury lifestyle filled with champagne and trips to country manors after starring on the reality show for so long.

Gareth insisted: 'We wanted to move on from our previous home because we wanted a fresh start. We have some very negative memories from the house and terrible experiences.

'We feel we have found somewhere new to live where we love it, which is around more people who are older with families, which is incredible. We are opening our eyes to a change of lifestyle because living in Chelsea - everyone is going out all the time; it's not the biggest family place.'