Celebs who opted for surrogacy

Bollywood actor Tusshar Kapoor took everyone by surprise when he announced the birth of his son, Laksshya, through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and surrogacy earlier this week. The actor has become the first single celebrity dad in India to have a child through IVF and surrogacy. While the news has been making headlines for reasons more than one, it has also triggered a debate on whether the trend is impacting the child adoption rates in India.While the debate rages on, we take a look at other celebrities in India and across the globe who have taken the surrogacy route to welcome the bundle of joy in their life.
Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao
Actor Aamir Khan and his filmmaker wife Kiran Rao were one of the first celebrity couples to publicly declare that their child Azad, born in December 2011, was born through a surrogate. The actor said he had taken the route of surrogacy as Kiran had suffered a miscarriage and uterine complications. He was very open about it and also encourages other couples to have a baby through IVF surrogacy. Aamir has two children, Junaid and Ira, from his earlier marriage to Reena. On the birth of Azad, Aamir said, 'This baby is especially dear to us because he was born to us after a long wait and some difficulty. We were advised to have a baby through IVF surrogacy, and we feel very grateful to the Almighty that all has gone well.

Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan
SRK and Gauri's third child, AbRam, was born through surrogacy in May 2013. Gauri, a mother of two, had been trying unsuccessfully for two years to have another baby. The couple contemplated adoption but decided that surrogacy was the way to go. King Khan, who was already father of Aryan and Suhana, refuted reports of pre-birth sex determination test on his third child. After AbRam's birth, the superstar said, 'Amidst all the noise that has been going around, the sweetest is the one made by our newborn baby, AbRam. He was born prematurely by several months, but has finally come home.'

Farah Khan and Shirish Kunder
Bollywood's ace choreographer and director Farah Khan, who got married to Shirish Kunder in her 40s, tried to have a baby naturally for two years. Finally, the couple decided to go for IVF. On February 11, 2008, Farah gave birth to triplets. She has even suggested this procedure to many other women who are not able to conceive naturally. Farah was once quoted as saying, "When the choice is to either go childless or IVF, there is no room for doubts. I was 43 when I had my kids and my biological clock had stopped ticking long time ago."

Sohail and Seema Khan
Actor and director Sohail Khan and his wife Seema decided to have their second baby ten years after the birth of their first son, Nirvaan. The couple considered IVF surrogacy as an option and their second child, Yohan, was born in June 2011. Sohail got married to Seema in 1998.

Ricky Martin
The Puerto Rican singer opted to take on the journey as a single man and had his twin boys, Matteo and Valentino, via surrogacy in 2008. He was reported as telling a magazine that he would give his life for his surrogate as she was not just a 'rented womb' as many like to refer to them. Martin explained that he had a deep bond with the woman and viewed her as an angelic being.

Michael Jackson
The late pop star's third child, Prince Michael II, was conceived through IVF using his sperm and was born on February 21, 2002. More popularly known as Blanket, the child made headlines when Michael dangled the nine-month-old from a hotel balcony. Reports say the surrogate mother was a Mexican nurse whom Jackson selected after a long search.

Nicole Kidman
Actress Nicole Kidman and her country singer husband Keith Urban welcomed their daughter Faith Margaret, the couple's second child, via surrogacy. She publicly admitted to being on a roller coaster ride when it came to fertility, which is why the couple decided to go with a gestational carrier. Kidman also has two older adopted children, Isabella and Connor, from her first marriage with Tom Cruise.

Cristiano Ronaldo
Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo allegedly hired a Mexican surrogate mother to become a single father to his son, Cristiano Jr. Manuela Silva. A former nanny who was hired by Ronaldo's sister to look after her children, claimed that the soccer star paid one woman for her eggs and the other to "incubate" her child.

Sarah Jessica Parker
In 2009, the Sex and the City actress and her hubby welcomed her twin girls, Marion Loretta Elwell and Tabitha Hodge, via surrogacy at the age of 46 after the couple failed to conceive the traditional way. The actress earlier had a son, James, with husband Matthew Broderick. On a TV show, Parker said that she had her fair share of disappointments trying for a second child, which is why the couple decided to go the surrogate route.

Sir Elton John
Elton John and his husband David Furnish have two sons, Zachary and Elijah, through surrogacy. It has been reported that the couple paid their surrogate $27,660 to have their first son and $31,660 to have their second. This isn't a lot of money considering John has a net worth of $355 million.

Robert De Niro
Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro and his wife Grace Hightower welcomed daughter Helen Grace in 2011 via surrogacy. De Niro was bold enough to embrace fatherhood again at the age of 68. He earlier had five other children, out of which his twin sons were born through surrogacy while he was with his ex-girlfirend Toukie Smith.