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Strictly Come Dancing star Alex Kingston has opened up about her "very tough" path to motherhood. The Doctor Who actress recently revealed her private battle with womb cancer last year, which resulted in a hysterectomy followed by radiotherapy. Following the necessary treatments, the 62-year-old said she finally felt like herself again - and healthier than she has been in years. It's not the only health struggle the television star has faced over the years. Looking back on becoming a mum, Alex discussed the challenging IVF journey she endured to have her daughter, Salome Violetta Haertel. Born in 2001, Salome is her only child with her former husband Florian Haertel, a German writer and freelance journalist whom she met through mutual friends. According to the Daily Mail, she said: "I went through about 13 rounds of IVF before I got pregnant with Salome, it was very tough. You are so desperate, you don't really understand what the long-term side-effects can be." Previously discussing her fertility battle with The Guardian, Alex said of initially attempting to conceive with her first husband: "More and more friends and acquaintances were having children and I wasn't. "I became really concerned, then frustrated and anxious about why not. I talked about it with my husband and had laparoscopic [investigative] surgery to see if there was any reason, but there was seemingly nothing wrong with me. "I was diagnosed with inexplicable fertility problems. We were going to move on to IVF, but unfortunately, our marriage then dissolved." Alex has been married three times, initially to actor Ralph Fiennes, then with Florian, and presently with Jonathan Stamp. Discussing her current husband, she revealed to The Times: "He's very organised and I'm not particularly organised. "We are exactly six months apart, so I feel it's almost like we're yin and yang. He understands me because he's a writer, a classicist, and teaches at Magdalen [College, Oxford]. I'm an actor and I love stories. I can literally sit and listen to him tell me about Jesus and the ancient world , just loving it." Alex is currently battling it out on Strictly Come Dancing , alongside professional dancer Johannes Radebe, and her performances have been impressive so far. Last weekend, she was awarded her first 10 of the series from Shirley Ballas , who rose from her chair to commend her Rumba technique. On Saturday, Alex continued to wow the panel with her Foxtrot during Icons week, where she channelled country icon Dolly Parton. Tonight, the next celebrity will bid farewell to the competition after Chris Robshaw's exit last week. Strictly Come Dancing: The Results airs tonight at 7.15pm on BBC One.
