Mother-to-be Josie Cunningham was so disappointed on learning the sex of her unborn baby she has taken up drinking and smoking with great gusto.
The 23-year-old recipient of an £4,800 NHS-funded breast enlargement is expecting her third son in two months.
She exclusively told The Mirror: “The evening I found out the sex of the baby was when I lit up my first cigarette. I’m not proud of it – but I couldn’t stop myself. It changed everything.”
Josie Cunningham had a £4,800 breast enlargement operation on the NHS
Revealing she had several glasses of wine and smoked a whole packet of cigarettes that fateful night, Cunningham is now in the grip of a 20-a-day habit, but hopes to receive NHS help to kick it.
She said: “I knew it could harm my child but it didn’t stop me. Deep down I know I wouldn’t be smoking or drinking if I knew I was having a girl.”
Cunningham, who is currently claiming £6,000 a year in tax-payer funded taxi rides because public transport gives her panic attacks, then appeared to compare carrying a son to a having a run-of-the-mill vehicle, as opposed to the “luxury car” experience of expecting a girl.
“If you’ve already got a couple of Fords and you’re told your next car is going to be an Audi, your excitement goes through the roof.
“You make promises to yourself that you won’t smoke inside the car or let people eat takeaway food in it. But if it was another Ford those things wouldn’t be a problem.
“I know some people will find it disgusting that I started drinking and smoking again simply because I’m having another son, but I’m being honest,” she said.
Earlier this year Cunningham announced her intention to have an abortion to increase her chances of appearing on Celebrity Big Brother, but later changed her mind.
And on Sunday she revealed she was mulling two book deals and expects to have a tell-all volume on the shelves by the end of the year.
She tweeted: “I understand why people are judging me in the way they are, all I ask is that before making your conclusive opinion on me, wait for my book to come out at the end of the year.”
Online NHS literature states: “Every cigarette you smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, so smoking when you are pregnant harms your unborn baby.
“Cigarettes can restrict the essential oxygen supply to your baby, so their heart has to beat harder every time you smoke.”
It states children whose parents smoke are more likely to suffer from asthma and other more serious illnesses that may need hospital treatment.
It adds: “The sooner you stop smoking, the better. But even if you stop in the last few weeks of your pregnancy, this will benefit you and your baby.”
Advice for pregnant women warns that drinking in the second half of pregnancy can affect how babies grow and develop, and can lead to learning difficulties and behavioural problems.
It also cautions that drinking more than six units a day can cause a serious condition called foetal alcohol syndrome.
The wannabe glamour model appears to have been courting the public's wrath since her breast enlargement last year, having subsequently gleefully revealed she's received £1,500 of Botox injections to treat excessive sweating and £2,500 of dental treatment – also funded by NHS.