Egyptian actress Mona Zaki revealed at the 9th El Gouna Film Festival that an undiagnosed immune disease caused her to lose seven pregnancies during her third month, delaying her family plans for a decade until successful medical treatment allowed her to welcome her children.
The revelation came during an extensive conversation with media figure Lamis El Hadidi on the program Al-Soura via Al Nahar channel during the 9th El Gouna Film Festival. While accepting the festival’s honorary creative achievement award, the celebrated star opened up about the heavy personal toll of her fertility struggles alongside her artistic philosophy on fear and risk-taking.
Ten Years of Medical Uncertainty and Pregnancy Losses
For a decade, the path to expanding her family was marked by quiet grief. The actress explained that she lost seven pregnancies consistently around the third month, enduring a cycle of heartbreak that encompassed both natural conceptions and painful in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments. Because she had no initial diagnosis, every failed attempt brought profound emotional distress, compounded by her daughter’s wish for siblings.
🌟 Mona Zaki is getting one of El Gouna Film Festival’s biggest honors.The Egyptian superstar will receive the Career Achievement Award on October 15.Three decades — and still at the top. 👑 pic.twitter.com/bwi3qKo52j
The underlying culprit was an unrecognised immune disorder that interfered with gestation. Medical testing eventually identified the immune condition, enabling targeted treatment that finally allowed a pregnancy to reach full term. That breakthrough bridged a 12-year gap between her daughter, Li Li, and her son Selim.
There are 12 years between Li Li and Selim because I have an immune disease, and in between them I lost seven children, always in the third month, which is the beginning of my pregnancy. I later discovered I had an immune disease because I didn't understand why the pregnancies were never carried to term, and I was very upset because my daughter always wanted a brother or a sister. When I started treating the illness, I got pregnant again, and that was the one that made it to term, even though I was in my forties—but I couldn't bear to lose them because this was a blessing I had wished for at another time. Mona
Artistic Philosophy on Fear and the Comfort Zone
Shifting from personal trials to her professional life, Zaki detailed her creative philosophy, arguing that actors must deliberately abandon safe spaces to keep their craft alive. Citing her work in demanding projects like the film Iḩki Yā Shahrazād
, she warned that staying inside a predictable routine dulls an artist’s instincts and turns performance into mechanical repetition.
She recalled advice from the late actor Ahmed Zaki regarding the danger of creative stagnation. To conquer professional anxiety and the natural fear of failure, she forces herself out of her comfort zone by embracing challenging scripts rather than guarding a polished image. Commenting on her recent television work, she expressed gratitude toward director Hany Khalifa for guiding her through her latest series Tale’ Nazel when she initially felt unprepared for the experience.
Fear of failure does not stop me from trying Mona Zaki, Actress
Addressing Husband Ahmed Helmy’s Absence at El Gouna
During the same appearance, Zaki cleared up media speculation surrounding the absence of her husband, actor Ahmed Helmy, from her festival tribute. Colleagues had whispered backstage wondering why Helmy was missing from the ceremony.
Zaki explained that her husband was travelling abroad with their daughter Li Li to manage family affairs, dismissing rumors of marital discord. She praised his enduring support throughout their marriage, noting that their relationship is built on mutual backing rather than professional rivalry.
Mona Zaki described it as the secret to domestic calm.
Direct Guidance for Younger Generations
Closing her conversation with El Hadidi, Zaki turned her focus outward, urging young people not to let apprehension dictate their life decisions or strangle their ambitions. She noted that while her generation grew up in a calmer environment before facing a more daunting modern reality, the inner battle against fear remains universal and must be met with deliberate courage.