Jasmin's cooking with love 'SURROGACY CHANGED MY LIFE'

The TV baker is forever grateful to her sisters for giving her a family

- Rebekah Hebenton

Throughout her time on The Great Kiwi Bake Off, Jasmin Hohaia has made many culinary tributes to her beloved family. But behind her happy demeanor on the show, the 35-year-old carried private pain.

Currently in lockdown in Auckland with her husband Dwayne, 43, and their two sons Boston, six, and Connor, two, Jasmin is excited restrictions have eased so she can be reunited with her parents and sisters, who also live in the City of Sails.

The whanau have a very close bond, which was made even stronger when Jasmin's sisters Hayley, 39, and Melissa, 34, gave her the gift of motherhood.

Jasmin was just 13 when she found out she wouldn't be able to carry children, and she confesses she went through a dark time in her 20s when her friends and sisters started having kids, knowing that she couldn't.

So, Jasmin and her husband of 10 years started exploring surrogacy, but their spirits were dampened after a doctor explained just how hard it is to find a surrogate.

Not only do they have to fit very specific criteria, but it is illegal to pay surrogates in New Zealand too, so they had to find someone who was willing to carry their baby for no compensation.

When Jasmin discussed it with her family, she never dreamed that her sisters would volunteer for the job.