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Wannabe celebrity Josie Cunningham last night confessed the chance of appearing on TV’s Big Brother was worth more than her unborn child’s life.

Puffing on a cigarette and rubbing her baby bump, the controversial model and call girl – who will have her abortion at a clinic this week – said: “I’m finally on the verge of becoming famous and I’m not going to ruin it now.

“An abortion will further my career. This time next year I won’t have a baby. Instead, I’ll be famous, driving a bright pink Range Rover and buying a big house. Nothing will get in my way.”

Josie, 23, is already 18 weeks pregnant by either an escort agency client or a Premier League footballer. But she claims her late life-or-death decision has nothing to do with who the father is.

She says it is based on the breakdown of negotiations with Channel 5 to appear on the reality show.

Josie – who caused outrage in 2013 when she demanded a £4,800 boob job on the NHS to become a glamour model – said: “Channel 5 were keen to shortlist me then they found out I was pregnant.

“Then they suddenly turned cold. That was when I started considering an abortion. After the operation I will be going back to them and asking if they will still consider me.

“I’ve also had loads of other offers to further my career – and I’m not willing to give them up because I’m pregnant.”

Get the latest news and reaction on this shocking story here - or read on for the rest of Josie's interview.

(Image: @JosieCOnline / Twitter)

Yet only nine days ago Josie was excitedly tweeting a scan picture of her unborn child.

She said: “At first I thought thank God it’s a footballer or a doctor and not a Big Issue seller and they have money.

“Suddenly I was pregnant and I could get free dental work on the NHS, so I got a tooth straightened for cosmetic reasons, and it all seemed great.

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“But then I started to think. I didn’t want to be famous for having a ­footballer’s baby or for being the girl who had a kid by someone who paid for sex.

“I want to be famous for being me – Josie Cunningham, a glamour model and celebrity in my own right. If I want to do that I need to put my career first.

“I want the attention to be on me, not on who fathered my child.”

(Image: Nicholas Bowman / Sunday Mirror)

Josie’s reasons for going ahead with the abortion fall outside NHS guidelines and the 1967 Abortion Act.

The law states terminations may be carried out if continuing the pregnancy would damage a woman’s physical or mental health.

Career plans and fame-seeking are not valid reasons – but celebrity-obsessed Josie is determined.

“I was excited at first but as soon as I noticed I was getting bigger, that was it,” she said. “I realised it would be at least a year before I could do any glamour modelling if I went through with it and, in my opinion, nobody wants to see a naked pregnant lady.

“People will disagree with my actions. They always do, but I don’t care.

“It’s not ideal situation and I wish I had never fallen pregnant. I’m not on the Pill and in December the condom split when I was sleeping with a client.

“Then I had sex with a footballer and didn’t use contraception at all. I’d known him for years and we’d had sex before. I didn’t even think about the morning after pill.”

(Image: Facebook)

The footballer and the client – who is a high-flying surgeon – both offered to support Josie financially if she had the baby. But she said no.

So the footballer agreed to pay for the abortion at a London private clinic.

The Sunday Mirror has seen the documents but has decided not to name the clinic.

Josie – already mum to boys Harley, six, and Frankie, three – said: “I’ve had five miscarriages so the one good thing about the pregnancy is that it has shown me I can still carry beyond 12 weeks.

“I’m a good mum but this is ­something I have wanted for so long. I can’t give up my big break for anything.”

The termination will cost £1,695. Josie did not to try to have this particular medical procedure to boost her career carried out on the NHS.

But that didn’t stop her before.

She begged NHS doctors for a breast enlargement in January 2013 to take her from a 32A to 32DD, claiming years of bullying over her flat chest had ruined her life.

But she later revealed her ambition to become a glamour model was the real reason to go under the knife. Her idol is Katie Price and she revealed she longs to be the star of her own reality TV series.

Now Josie – still smoking up to 10 cigarettes a day and drinking despite her bump – fears pro-life activists and online trolls will target her over her abortion decision.

(Image: Nicholas Bowman / Sunday Mirror)

So she is keen to point out what she is doing is for her two sons as much as for her.

“I want it for myself but I want it for my boys,” she said. “I love them and I want to be able to buy them the most expensive toys and to give them nice holidays. People will criticise me but I’m a good mother.”

She said doesn’t think she will be “particularly distraught” after the termination and is relieved she has made her decision.

“To begin with I stopped drinking and started a super healthy diet but I’ve totally relaxed now,” she said.

“The other night I treated myself to a couple of frozen Smirnoff ­cocktails and I can’t stop smoking.

“People ask me what I’m craving and the answer is Smirnoff Ice! Once this is all out of the way I hope I can go back to my life and the opportunities will still be there.”

Josie now hopes Channel 5 bosses will reconsider her for Big Brother – but she claims there is more in the pipeline.

“If not, I have a documentary which will hopefully be done towards the end of the year and another reality TV show is ­interested,” she said.

“It’s all happening and finally all the hate I’ve have from the public over the NHS boob job is worth it.

“All those people who have trolled me and hated me for being me are going to be put in their place when I make it. Why should I give that up to have a baby?”

The law

An abortion can be carried out in the first 24 weeks under certain criteria.

It must take place in a hospital or licensed clinic. Two doctors must agree it would cause less damage to the mother's health than going on with pregnancy.

NHS guidelines say women severely impoverished or unable to provide care to the child, can have the procedure.

An abortion should ideally be carried out before 12 weeks.

There are rare situations when abortion may be carried out after 24 weeks: "to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman" or if there is "substantial risk the child would be born with physical or mental abnormalities".