Olympia Valance wants sex education in schools to change and talk about fertility

Actress Olympia Valance, who has been candid about her own fertility struggles and IVF journey, has revealed why sex education needs a radical overhaul in schools.

Sex education needs a radical overhaul in schools, with a greater focus on fertility, according to actress Olympia Valance.

The 30-year-old, who has been candid about her own fertility struggles and IVF journey, said the focus needs to switch from pregnancy protection to educating young women on their biological clocks.

“It feels like that scene in Mean Girls where the sex ed teacher says ‘if you have sex, you will get pregnant and you will die’,” Valance said.

“Well, that’s what it was like in my school. And then you get to 28, 29 and 30 and it’s not easy to fall pregnant.”

Olympia Valance has an upcoming Netflix show Surviving Summer. Picture: Jason Edwards

Valance is also keen to eliminate the shame around infertility and miscarriages. She has previously shared that she miscarried twins with her husband, former Essendon AFL player, Thomas Bellchambers in the thick of Covid.

“I’m not shameful and I don’t want to keep it private because I want support,” she said.

“(When I first shared my story) I was inundated with these incredible stories from other people who felt the same as I do.

“I think what I’m doing is important, and needed, and necessary.

“Miscarriages happen all the time and we should be talking to people for support because it’s really hard,” she said.

“And then we have to internalise all that pain and no-one knows what is going on. You just have to go about your daily life, go to work like you haven’t lost a child.

“And I’m so over on social media where we only show you the good bits – pretending that I’m happy.”

The former Neighbours star has roles in Netflix’s second season of Surviving Summer.

Valance has balanced the pain in her private life, with a busy year career wise. The former Neighbours star has roles in Netflix’s second season of Surviving Summer – which has just cracked the global Top 10 – and Ten’s upcoming drama Heat.

She jokes that she’s struggling to cope with the realisation that she’s now the veteran on set. It only dawned on her playing surfing coach Elo in Surviving Summer.

“(All these young kids) are asking me questions about crew and ‘what’s the right way to do this and this?’ and I realise I’m now that old person,” Valance said, with a laugh.

“And I’m like ‘Oh no. Oh, no – have we really come this far?’. I’m literally their schoolteacher.

“I thought I was still quite young and one of the cool group, but then one of them says ‘you’re like the mum of the group’. God – so OK that’s where I am now.”

Valance is also keen to eliminate the shame around infertility and miscarriages. Picture: Jason Edwards

Valance enjoyed reuniting with her Fremantle family – the production company is behind Neighbours and the four-part drama Heat which will premiere on Ten next month.

She stars alongside Pia Miranda, Darren McMullen, Jane Allsop and Danny Dyer, in the harrowing tale of raging bushfires and deep seeded family secrets.

Her role came courtesy of the director Kate Kendall, who played her on-screen mum on Neighbours.

“She said ‘we have to find a role for Olympia’,” Olympia said.

“I didn’t even have a big role but the story is unbelievable. When I read the script, I could not put it down.

“It’s wild. It is like nothing you would expect from an Australian TV show.

“It’s, I don’t know the right word – it’s, it’s perverse.”

Surviving Summer, Netflix

Heat, Wednesday, October 4, 9pm, Ten

Originally published as Olympia Valance wants sex education in schools to change and talk about fertility