'My body can't do it any more': Britain's most prolific surrogate mother who has had FIFTEEN children and given 13 away is forced to retire on doctors' orders

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A woman who has been dubbed 'Britain's most prolific surrogate' has revealed how doctors have ordered her to stop having babies - after she gave birth to 15 children in 20 years.

Carole Horlock, 49, from Colchester, Essex, who has a partner of 16 years and two children of her own, says she loves having babies and is 'addicted to being pregnant'. 

Now she has been forced to admit that she cannot get pregnant again without risking her health, admitting that while her partner and two daughters are relieved, it has been a 'sad time' for her.

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Carole Horlock, 49, from Colchester, Essex, has been forced to give up her surrogacy 'career' after 13 babies

Miss Horlock with her 13th surrogate baby (left), and with baby number nine in 2004 (right)

She told how after losing her 16th baby, she has now been advised to stop getting pregnant.

'Doctors said my body was telling me I couldn't have any more babies,' she told Closer magazine.

'I hoped I'd be able to give one last family a baby. But I've been forced to realise my body can't do it any more. My age is against me.'

She added that there was one positive side to ending her surrogate career, explaining: 'When you're trying to have a baby for a couple, it plays havoc with your sex life and you have to abstain. So the upside is I'm enjoying great sex again!'  

Carole, who lives in Colchester, Essex, with her partner of 16 years, Paul, has two daughters of her own, Steffanie, 24, and Megan, 21, and has given birth to 13 other children as a surrogate mother – including a set of twins and a set of triplets. 

She last gave birth in April 2013 – to a boy weighing 9lb 14oz. 'At the time I said he was going to be my last, but having babies is addictive,' she said. 

Baby number one - Carole became pregnant with her first surrogate child in December 1995

Baby number five (left) was born in July 1999, followed by baby number six (right) in October 2000

It is just over 20 years since she became pregnant with her first child for another couple after reading a newspaper article about surrogacy.

She went on to have twins in February 1997, triplets in March 2008 and other babies in March 1998, July 1999, October 2000, January 2002, April 2003, June 2004 and April 2013. 

For each pregnancy, she was paid expenses of between £7,000 and £15,000. 

During her last pregnancy she appeared on This Morning to say that she felt confident, even though her previous childbirth experience in April 2013, had been 'horrendous'. 

A natural labour proved impossible and her life was saved by having a C-section and the doctors' ability to bring her sky high blood pressure back under control.

After the experience, doctors advised her not to get pregnant again. But Carole said she wanted to help one more infertile couple start a family and end her surrogacy journey 'on a high'.

Miss Horlock pictured with her daughter, Megan, 21. She says having babies is 'addictive'

She has been dubbed as having 'the best uterus in the world' thanks to having 13 surrogate babies in the last 20 years. 

Carole explained that she first decided to become a surrogate 20 years ago in order to help infertile couples.

She said: 'When I was growing up my parents had friends struggling with infertility so I knew from a young age the pain it could cause. When I had my own children I read about a surrogate and I thought "I could do that".'

The first nine surrogate babies were created using her own eggs and the last five via donated ones. Women can't be paid to be surrogates but can be given expenses and compensation up to £15,000 - but Carole said she's never been motivated by financial gain and would still have had all 14 if she was a lottery winner.

She had her own daughters in 1991 and 1994 and then had her first surrogate baby in 1995.

She said it hasn't been difficult to give any of them away as she never bonded with them while she was pregnant.

She said: 'I enjoyed feeling the babies kick but it was just part of my body and I didn't feel emotionally attached. I felt the same way with my own two, I didn't bond with them until they were born and I was nurturing them.'

However she added that she does get 'emotionally involved with the couples' as she feels like she's on their journey to become parents and cares about the outcome.

She added that she has always carefully selected who she will work for as a surrogate to ensure they get along and she's always aware that she's offering a 'service'.

'I'm just a carrier of the baby,' she said.

Once the babies are born, she leaves it up to them whether they want to remain in touch.

'I leave it up to them if they want to stay in contact with me and some have become good friends and some of them haven't. Some don't want to be constantly reminded they had a child through surrogacy,' she said.