A woman left heartbroken after £22,000 of failed IVF treatment and a miscarriage has finally become a mum to miracle twins - after meeting a surrogate on Facebook.
Beauty therapist Nicola Ede, 35, and husband Matt, 34, fell in love at 15 and planned the perfect family life with a house, three kids and a dog.
They married in 2006 and tried for a baby but their dream was shattered when Nicola was diagnosed with a condition called endometriosis and told she could be infertile.
The childhood sweethearts tried desperately to conceive for 10 years, splashing out £50,000 on IVF , vitamins and Chinese herbal remedies.
Nicola and Matt, a joiner, were "over the moon" when she fell pregnant in 2009 - only to be left devastated after she suffered a miscarriage at seven weeks.
In 2011, they were told that killer cells in Nicola's body were attacking each embryo and she was unlikely to be able to give birth.
Incredibly, after a decade of trying, she has finally become a mother to healthy twins after a stranger contacted her on Facebook and offered to be their surrogate.
Five months later the surrogate,known only as Claire, had two embryos implanted and has now given birth to twins Savannah and Felix Ede via C-section.
Nicola, of Bookham, Surrey, said: "We were really nervous because it's not something you do every day, but the surrogate was amazing.
"She made the whole journey an incredible experience for us. We were together all the time and she made me feel like I was pregnant.
"She would tell me everything she was feeling, every little kick, she would send me videos and we went to every appointment."
She added: "I had imagined waiting years to find a surrogate so I feel like Claire was sent to us and having the twins is beyond what I ever imagined.
"I had got to the point where I was thinking this is never going to happen for us.
"We both find ourselves just staring at them. We can't quite believe that they are ours. They are so precious. We've got our dream."
Nicola realised she may never have children in 2006 after doctors removed a cyst from her ovaries and discovered she had endometriosis.
The condition, where pieces of the womb lining are found outside the womb, left her suffering agonising period pains and internal scarring.
Doctors also warned Nicola that she may be infertile - but told her she was young with plenty of time, so to go away and try naturally.
After spending months drinking Chinese tea, taking vitamins and cutting sugar, wheat and dairy out of her diet, Nicola started looking into IVF in 2009.
The couple went private because they were ineligible for a free cycle on the NHS as Matt, 34, was a smoker who was struggling to quit.
They forked out £22,500 for three rounds of IVF at the Lister Fertility Clinic in Chelsea, London, in 2009, 2011 and 2013, but it didn't work.
The couple resigned themselves to the fact that Nicola wouldn't be able to carry a child and started researching surrogacy.
But with their savings exhausted and no options available on the NHS, Nicola, Matt and their families resorted to fundraising.
They set up The Ede Family Surrogacy and IVF Fund in May 2015 and donations of cash and children's clothes and toys for them to sell in nearly new sales flooded in.
It is illegal to advertise for a surrogate in the UK, so Nicola and Matt thought they would be looking for years - but three months later, Claire messaged them.
The first-time surrogate, who had carried twins before and lived just six miles away, agreed to have two embryos implanted.
The twins were born on October 27 last year, with Felix weighing 6lbs 3oz and Savannah 5lbs 11oz.
Describing the birth, Nicola said: "It was incredible. It didn't feel real. My husband was sobbing like a blubbering mess and I was just in shock. The next day I couldn't stop crying.
"Claire stayed in for a few days and then went home. We have bonded so much.
"She said so many people have asked 'how can you give away your baby?', but she says 'they are not mine'."
Ex-Sainsbury's worker Claire, who has a 10-year-old son and four-year-old twin boys, couldn't stop thinking about the couple after reading their story.
The married 32-year-old - who does not wish to reveal her full name - said: "I eventually had to reach out to them and make it known that I would be willing to help them.
"It is a lot of responsibility and pressure to carry someone else's children - it has the same hormones, worries and emotions as every other pregnancy plus more on top.
"But I am so proud of what we all did. I was able to be there when they saw their babies for the very first time. That moment was what it was all for."
