A former Love Island star has revealed his fertility has been impacted after his maternal grandmother took a cancer-linked pregnancy drug more than 50 years ago.

Maxwell Samuda, 26, who appeared on season nine of the hit show, is the first man to speak out about how his life has been blighted by the drug Diethylstilbestrol, a synthetic form of the female hormone oestrogen commonly known as DES, which his grandmother took in 1972. The drug can pass devastating effects down through the generations, including to men.

Maxwell’s mother, Natalie Samuda, 50, has also suffered multiple health issues, including the removal of cancerous cells from her cervix and a total hysterectomy, while her mother has had breast cancer.

The family is the first of three generations to speak out about the impact of the drug and is calling for a full statutory public inquiry into the drug which was prescribed to around 300,000 women for more than 40 years.

They revealed that they never knew the potential cause of their health issues until the launch of DES Justice UK last November.

Maxwell, who is currently living in Dubai with his mother, had to have an operation as a baby for undescended testes, a condition in new-born boys where one or both testicles fail to move down from the abdomen into the scrotum before birth, and was circumcised for medical reasons. He said:

“I didn’t think anything of it until five years’ ago I found a lump on my scrotum which was fortunately benign. Doctors said I had a varicocele, which is an enlargement of veins in my scrotum, and after tests revealed I had a low sperm count. It came as complete shock as I keep myself fit and healthy, and don’t drink or smoke. I had done everything I could to be as healthy as I could and I still got this result, which made me wonder why.

“It was very distressing and upsetting as it is something completely out of my control. I only realised what may have caused it when my mum saw media coverage last year about DES and then everything made sense. People had trust in medical professionals when they took this drug and now so many are being harmed years on. Those responsible need to be held to account. That can only be done with a public inquiry.”

Maxwell’s grandmother Maureen Day, 78, from Herne Bay, Kent, had a daughter with no complications. When she fell pregnant with her second child in 1972, a boy, she took DES as there was a risk of miscarriage. He was born at five months gestation and passed away. She then took the drug to dry up her milk. She later developed breast cancer at the age of 74. Women who took DES have an increased chance of developing the cancer. Maureen said: 

“We always wondered why my eldest daughter never had any health problems but Natalie did. It turns out it was because I took DES before she was born. I didn’t realise that it had that impact until I saw coverage of DES on the news. I also realised that it was probably the reason I got breast cancer four years ago.

“For it to have affected Natalie and Maxwell is extremely upsetting. We also don’t know if it will impact Maxwell’s children if he is able to have them in the future. I wish I had never taken it and the fact that so many women were allowed to is disgusting. I want justice for all of us and compensation for everybody affected.”

Maxwell's mother and former midwife, Natalie, who also has multiple autoimmune diseases, said: 

“I always thought there had to be an underlying reason why I had so many health issues. When I found out last year that mum had taken DES there was almost a relief as I at least knew where the problems had come from. But the fact I didn’t know shows how many others could be the same position. This needs to be outed and a public inquiry held.

“For me people need compensation. With thalidomide it was an obvious deformity but with DES the impact is hidden. I shouldn’t have had to go to countless appointments and deal with debilitating conditions but I have because of DES.” 

Approximately 300,000 women were prescribed what was believed to be a ‘wonder drug’ between 1938 and the late 1970s to prevent miscarriage and early labour, dry up breast milk and treat menopausal symptoms.

Wes Streeting has already apologised to victims and admitted: “The state got it wrong.” But now campaigners are asking him to go further and launch a full statutory public inquiry to get the answers the victims need.

Clare Fletcher, partner at Broudie Jackson Canter, who represents DES Justice UK, said:

“The story of Maureen, Natalie and Maxwell is a tragic but all too familiar one which shows that this isn’t a historic injustice, but one that is affecting lives today. So many families have had their lives blighted and devastated because they trusted doctors and the government. Unbeknown to them, they were betrayed and forced to be victims of one of the biggest pharmaceutical scandals this country has ever seen.

“Our clients are demanding answers as to how this drug could have been prescribed to so many for so long. The only way we will ever get to the truth is with a statutory public inquiry to investigate this national disgrace and ensure justice for the victims.”

Campaigners are also calling for a full screening programme across the NHS to identify those who may be affected by DES and potentially susceptible to its horrific impact.

If you believe you or a loved one has been affected by DES you can register your interest in the DES Campaign UK here.