Spanish actress who used DNA of dead son to have his child shares details about life after birth

TV Personality Ana Obregón has shared new details about life with her two-year-old daughter, Anita Sa, who was born through surrogacy using her late son’s sperm.

The Spanish actress and TV personality made headlines in 2023 when, at the age of 68, she revealed she had welcomed a baby. 

She later clarified that Anita is biologically her granddaughter, conceived with a donor egg and the sperm Aless had preserved before his cancer diagnosis.

Speaking on Spanish TV, Obregón shared rare details about parenting a toddler at 70. She admitted that carrying her growing daughter is becoming physically demanding for her.

She said, “My house is now full of stuffed animals and toys. I even have a little ball pool where she makes me dive in, it hurts my back.”

Obregón’s son Aless, who was the child of Spanish aristocrat Alessandro Lecquio and a nephew of former King Juan Carlos, died in 2020 after a battle with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer.

He was only 27.

She recalled, “We live our whole lives saying that we are eternal and nothing happens here. Suddenly, one day, they tell you at 25 years old that you have an aggressive cancer.”

In a recent ¡Hola! interview celebrating Anita’s second birthday, Obregón said her granddaughter had helped her find purpose again.

“I was dead for three years from Aless’ death until Anita was born,” she said.

“You don’t accept or get over the death of a child… Fortunately, Anita now fills my days.”

She also reflected on how her perspective as a mother has changed.

She went on, “With Aless, I would go to work confident that everything would be fine.”

“But life has taught me that one day you have a perfectly healthy child, and out of the blue, you’re told he has a very aggressive cancer.”

Anita’s birth has sparked national debate in Spain, where surrogacy remains illegal. Although Obregón used a surrogate in the US and legally adopted the child, political figures, including Equality Minister Irene Montero and Presidency Minister Félix Bolaños, condemned the practice, calling it exploitative.

Responding to the backlash, Obregón said, “There are criticisms and judgments. People can be judged, but it’s impossible to live without empathy.”

She added, “I believe that when fathers and mothers put themselves in my shoes and in my soul, in my pain… As I say, I was the owner of my pain. Now, I am the owner of my revival.”