Woman says she's lucky to become a grandmother aged 33: 'I will be around for such a long time'
Watch: 'I gave birth at 15 and am now one of Britain's youngest grans at just 33'
A woman who had her daughter at 15 has now become a grandmother at age 33, making her one of the UK’s youngest grandmothers.
Ruth Clayton gave birth to her daughter Rose in 2005 when she was at school. Rose then gave birth to her own daughter last year, making Ruth a grandmother.
The support worker from Lincoln says she initially tried to talk Rose out of becoming a mum so young.
"Once I knew Rose was serious about having this baby, I was fully on board and so, so excited," she adds.
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"I met up with her boyfriend's family. They were so amazing: they are the most amazing family. I was in tears watching her give birth – she was like a warrior. Seeing my daughter turn into an amazing mum is the best gift she could have given me."
Clayton fell pregnant with Rose when she was only 14 and initially wanted to terminate the pregnancy.
"I arranged for an abortion but me and my friend got on the bus to Lincoln and I turned to her and said, 'I can't do it,'” she says, adding that for her, it turned out to be the ‘best decision ever’.
"I still got my GCSEs, went to college and everything was fine," she continues.
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Clayton says she now loves being a young grandmother to baby Cora. “Life is just the most amazing thing, I feel like my world has come full circle,” Clayton says.
"To be a grandma at 33 means I will be around for such a long time. It is going to be amazing – I feel very lucky."
According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average age someone becomes a grandparent in the UK is 63. The same research found that the average age a woman has her second child is 31, and peak happiness occurs between the ages of 65 and 74.
The title of Britain’s youngest grandmother is currently held by Kelly Healey, who became a grandmother at just 30 years old in 2018.
Healey fell pregnant with her daughter Skye when she was just 15 years old, and Skye fell pregnant when she was just 13.
