‘Everything I did I just peed’: The hidden 30-year health struggle and the surprising solution

Wednesday, 17 June 2026

Paddy Gower speaks to Emma Cherrington about incontinence.

Emma Cherrington developed incontinence after childbirth at 21 and kept the condition hidden for more than 30 years because of embarrassment and shame.

Experts say one in four New Zealanders experience continence issues, but stigma means many delay seeking help.

Emma eventually found support and treatment, including Botox, and is now encouraging others to talk openly and get medical advice.

“What on earth is happening? Why am I peeing myself?”

Emma Cherrington openly admits to more than 30 years of incontinence - being unable to control when she urinates.

“Everything I did that involved exercise - walking, coughing, sneezing - I just peed,” said the mother and carer from Auckland.

After three decades of shame and embarrassment, Emma Cherrington is proud she got help with her incontinence.

It all started when Cherrington was 21 and wet herself on court during a game of netball.

She realised she was “completely wet” mid-game and didn’t know what was happening.

“I went to the toilet because I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, there must be something wrong.’ Then I discovered it was urine.”

That was three months after she had given birth to her son.

“For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what the heck was going on because I really hadn’t had any issues before having Jordan,” she said.

Cherrington first experienced incontinence while playing netball, three months after the birth of her son, Jordan.

Cherrington kept her incontinence a secret for three decades. Now in her 50s, she is opening up.

“I was so embarrassed to talk about the fact that I was peeing and I couldn’t control it. It was horrible. I kept it hidden for years.”

For a long time, she didn’t make the connection that her bladder issue was a result of childbirth and so thought something was wrong with her. She says it affected every part of her life.

“It was not just a physical thing. It’s a mental thing, it’s emotional, physiological, psychological. When you live with it, you’re so damn embarrassed that your whole life is affected.”

‘I no longer have any shame’

Emma told Paddy Gower that knowing where to get help was the first challenge.

An estimated one in four New Zealanders have issues with incontinence, the involuntary leakage of urine or poo. Rather than being a disease, it’s a symptom of an underlying physical, neurological or lifestyle issue.

Anyone can experience it at any age. But for women it is most common after childbirth or during menopause. For men, prostate removal surgery is a common trigger.

Persisting shame and stigma mean lots of people live with the issue without help. Cherrington was one of those for many years.

Knowing where to get help was her first challenge, because she hadn’t heard about incontinence and didn’t know where to turn.

Eventually she went to her GP and then had lots of tests to find the cause. One of her biggest wins was finding Continence New Zealand, an organisation that helps support and educate people with continence issues.

“I no longer have any shame around having continence issues. It’s just another health issue,” she said.

The surprising solution

Pelvic health physiotherapist Hannah Orr says it is time for New Zealand to have more open conversations about incontinence.

Seeking help meant Cherrington received medical advice, and an unusual solution - Botox.

While not suitable for everyone because of possible side-effects, she says Botox has been life-changing for her.

“They inject it into the wall of the uterus to hold everything where it's supposed to be.”

Hannah Orr is a pelvic health physiotherapist and board member of Continence New Zealand.

Orr says society needs to talk about incontinence more, to reduce stigma around the issue.

“If society as a whole understood it, knew it happened and was just much more open to talking about it, it would take away that shame,” she said.

That is why the theme for World Continence Week - which is this week - is “one conversation can change everything”.

Orr says opening up the conversation would also increase the awareness of the many possible pathways for medical help.

So what help is there?

Starting with your GP is a good option if you have a good relationship with them, says Orr. They can gauge the severity and refer you to a specialist or physio if needed.

There are lots of other things you can try - you can call the Continence NZ helpline for more advice.

Cherrington’s message for other New Zealanders experiencing incontinence is simple: “Just because you have an issue, this is not of your making, and you haven’t caused it in any way. So educate yourself around what the problem is and talk to people who are qualified to support you through that process.”

This piece of editorial is part of the Paddy Gower Does Stuff health series, brought to you by Chemist Warehouse. Stay tuned for other episodes of this series, releasing each week on Stuff. Check out more great stories and videos from Paddy here.