Ashley James wore an adult pull-up diaper during a recent trip to Paris after leaving behind the absorbent pads she uses to manage fecal incontinence. The 39-year-old British broadcaster and actress said the setback turned a routine travel problem into a public account of a postpartum condition she has lived with for five years.
Paris and Tommy Andrews
James traveled to Paris, France, with her husband, Tommy Andrews, to celebrate her birthday and attend a performance by Celine Dion. After getting off a train, she realized the toiletry bag with her pads was missing, then bought new pads in Paris before switching to adult pull-up diapers when that proved difficult.
She later shared a photo of herself wearing one against the backdrop of Paris. That image moved the story beyond a private travel mishap: it put a visible, practical workaround on display for a medical issue many people still keep hidden.
Five Years After 2021
James has dealt with fecal incontinence since giving birth in 2021, and she said the condition is not something she views as shameful. She also said, “A woman's body undergoes major, and sometimes permanent, changes in the process of bringing a child into the world,” adding a broader point about postpartum physical changes and complications.
Fecal incontinence means stool or gas leaks involuntarily, and it can follow vaginal childbirth, hormonal changes and aging. The practical reality is sharper than the terminology: James said she is doing pelvic floor exercises and has postponed surgery, which puts her in the middle of a treatment process rather than at its end.
Pelvic Floor Exercises
James’s decision to speak plainly matters because shame still keeps many patients from seeking help. She said postpartum physical changes should not be treated as an individual woman's problem, and she framed the condition as something to address openly rather than conceal, which is the useful takeaway for anyone managing the same issue while traveling or at home.
For readers facing similar symptoms, the immediate lesson is practical: keep supplies accessible, expect travel disruptions to expose gaps in routine, and treat pelvic floor work as part of a longer plan if surgery has been pushed back. James has already shown the stopgap can be as simple as replacing one lost bag with another option that works for the day.
