68-year-old star has a baby by surrogacy... with her late son!

A 68-year-old star and her newborn
Born in a Miami hospital
Three years after the tragic loss of her son
In fact... her son is the father of the child!
It was his last wish
The baby has a familiar name...
It all took place in Miami
In a wheelchair with her daughter
Before the photo, hardly anyone knew
She's still in Florida
Known from 'Mask Singer' and other TV shows in Spain
Raising money for the Aless Lequio Foundation
At the center of a controversy
The surrogate mother exposed
Like an episode of 'Black Mirror'
A topic of discussion in parliament
In the US, surrogacy is legal
Not many reactions in the American press
What does the grandfather think of all this?
Distanced himself
A 68-year-old star and her newborn

An international controversy has unfolded surrounding the Spanish actress and TV host Ana Obregón, who became a mother at the age of 68 thanks to a surrogacy process.

Born in a Miami hospital

The news was known after the exclusive of the magazine '¡HOLA!' that showed on its cover the first images of the artist leaving a Miami hospital with the little girl in her arms.

Image: ¡HOLA!

Three years after the tragic loss of her son

The birth of her second child came three years after the death of her son Aless. He died in May 2020 of hematological cancer at the age of 27.

In fact... her son is the father of the child!

After days of rumors about the alleged father of the baby, the Spanish star revealed to '¡HOLA!' magazine that the girl was conceived with the defrosted semen of her late son. This means she is not the mother of the baby, but the grandmother.

It was his last wish

As she related to the Spanish magazine, the birth of this child was the fulfillment of the last wish of her son Aless Lequio before he died of cancer.

The baby has a familiar name...

The star named her child Ana Sandra Lequio Obregón: a name that, apparently, the late Aless told his mother that his first daughter should bear. 'Sandra' is a feminine variant of Alejandro, her father's name, and Ana is the name of her maternal grandmother and her great-grandmother (who died in 2021 at the age of 95).

"My Aless... I promised you I would bring your daughter into the world"

Posting the image of her little Ana Sandra on Instagram, the presenter and actress dedicated these words to her first child, her deceased son:
"My Aless, I swore I would save you from cancer and I failed you. [But] I promised you I would bring your daughter into the world and here she is in my arms."

"It's as if I were hugging you again"

"When I hug her," the actress says, "I feel an indescribable emotion, because it's as if I were hugging you again."

"You, from heaven, will help me"

"I swear I will take care of her with the infinite love I have to give, and you, from heaven, will help me," Obregón wrote to her son. "You are the love of my life in heaven, and your daughter, the love of my life on earth."

It all took place in Miami

As reported in ¡HOLA! and confirmed in 'El Mundo,' the baby was born on March 20. In the days before the delivery, Ana Obregón was said to have rented an apartment in Miami "to spend the first days of the little girl's life there."

In a wheelchair with her daughter

On March 22, the famous TV host left the hospital with the little girl in her arms. She sat in a wheelchair, following the protocol and regulations of the health center.

"They caught us!"

As the star would later claim on Instagram, next to the photo the paparazzi made: "They caught us! A light full of love came into my darkness. I will never be alone again."

Before the photo, hardly anyone knew

The surrogacy and delivery of the baby took place at the utmost discretion. Only the sisters of the star and her ex-partner (and now grandfather of the baby), Alessandro Lequio, knew of her plans.

Image: Ana Obregón later assured her followers on Instagram that no one had leaked the news to the press.

"In shock"

As her sister, Celia told El Mundo, "Ana is fine, very happy." She also added that the family is still "in shock" after the news of the new baby's arrival in the world.

She's still in Florida

The Spanish TV host should spend a few weeks in Florida with the newborn before returning to her country. As CNN reports, the child will have a US passport, but "she will be registered at the Spanish consulate in Miami before flying home to Spain."

Known from 'Mask Singer' and other TV shows in Spain

The TV host plans to return to television very soon, with 'Mask Singer' (the local version of 'The Masked Singer') being one of her latest projects. She has served as a judge on the successful show.

Image: Antena 3

Raising money for the Aless Lequio Foundation

In addition, Ana Obregón continues with other professional projects such as the Aless Lequio Foundation, which raises funds for the fight against cancer, and the publication of a book, 'El chico de las musarañas' ('The Boy with the Shrews'), a work left half-finished by her son.

"A hurricane of feelings"

"In this work," the star writes to her son on Instagram, "I explain the whole hurricane of feelings of a mother faced with the loss of a child and the long road to reach this blessing and miracle of a baby, Anita, who is your daughter."

At the center of a controversy

Ana Obregón's family expansion has become the focus of heated debates in Spanish media. They question her maternity at the age of 68, her use of surrogacy, and her relationship with the media.

"Parenthood as a global industry"

In Spain, surrogacy is prohibited, CNN states, while other nations, like the UK, only allow it with many restrictions. Meanwhile, in Mexico or the US, the process is "straightforward" - as long as you can afford it. The Spanish newspaper 'El País' points out that an increasing number of wealthy people go abroad to find a woman who is willing to carry their baby to term for them. It calls surrogacy "parenthood as a global industry."

The surrogate mother exposed

As CNN reports, Spanish media have gone as far as to track down the surrogate mother of Obregón's baby. Letras magazine established she was "a woman of Cuban origin that lives in Florida – and splashed photos of her on its front page," per CNN.

Like an episode of 'Black Mirror'

CNN also notes that Verónica Fumanal, president of Spain's Association of Political Communication (ACOP) was very critical of the entire situation. She said "the announcement made her think of the dystopian TV series 'Black Mirror.'"

"She put a camera in her face and sold the exclusive"

"She bought herself a grandaughter with sperm from her dead son," said Fumanal in an interview with Cadena Ser, cited by CNN. "She put a camera in her face and sold the exclusive."

A topic of discussion in parliament

The matter of the surrogacy is even being discussed in the Spanish parliament. The Spanish Minister of Equality, Irene Montero, said the following: "I want to remind you that surrogacy is a practice that is not legal in Spain."

"Surrogacy is illegal... and violence against women"

In fact, she said, Spain's new legislation on sexual and reproductive rights labels surrogacy as "a form of violence against women."

"Exploitation"

The Spanish Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, said that her Socialist Worker's Party is against surrogacy. "It is a form of exploitation of women's bodies," the minister said in a statement reported by RTVE's 24-hour news channel.

In the US, surrogacy is legal

In response to the criticism, Obregón has said that the debate in Spain is "absurd." The actress is allowed to bring a baby into the country that was conceived in a way that is illegal in Spain, because she has "documents proving that she is legally recognized as the baby’s mother in the United States, and adopting a child born abroad is legal in Spain," CNN explains.

Not many reactions in the American press

Obregón seems to have remarked correctly in ¡HOLA! that surrogacy is "very normalized" in the US. American media have mostly commented on the debate in Spain, but they have generally refrained from any criticism of the practice of surrogacy in the US itself.

What does the grandfather think of all this?

And what is known about Aless Lequio's father, Alessandro Lequio - the new grandfather to the child? To date, the Italian aristocrat is missing and has not yet commented on the matter.

Distanced himself

However, there are already some voices, such as those published in the magazine 'Semana,' that point to a rift between Ana Obregón and Alessandro Lequio. "I'm finding out things that I was not aware of," Count Lequio is quoted as saying on the cover of the magazine.