An aspiring mum who owns 16 reborn dolls says she "understands" why Katie Price has bought them - and urges trolls to stop calling her "crazy". "

Jess Ellis, 29, started making and collecting the hyper realistic dolls after a battle with PCOS left her struggling to conceive.

She's given herself "one more year" to fall pregnant naturally - but will begin looking into other options, like IVF, if she hasn't been successful."

The content creator - who makes and collects the dolls - says they're "beautiful" to look at, and claims they release similar hormones to mums caring for newborn babies. "

She wants people to stop accusing Katie Price - who shared she'd begun collecting reborn dolls on January 16 - of "needing to be sectioned". "

Jess, a HR business partner, from Newham, London, said: "The reborn community really appreciates Katie for introducing more people to reborns who might not have known about them before. "

"It's such a shame that some people are being really horrible to her about her mental health - and calling her 'crazy' for collecting them. "

"Some people are even saying she needs to 'be sectioned'."

"But they're therapeutic, and a coping mechanism for lots of people."

"Making these babies has been an outlet for any fertility worries I've got. "

"I'd love to be a mother, I think I'd be a really good mother."

Jess began her collection in May 2020 - after feeling "lonely" throughout the pandemic. "

Her first doll, Rebecca, cost £250 - and she quickly added dolls like newborns Zain, Sam, Annalese and Aria to her brood.

In total, to date, Jess has spent over £6k on baby accessories alone.

Along with her husband, Avery, 35, a pastry chef, she also takes them out for walks in their prams.

"I think particularly living away from friends and family, it's very easy to feel lonely," Jess said. "

"My dolls have been really helpful if I'm ever upset and stressed."

The calming effects of the dolls include their "weighted" feel and the distraction of dressing them up. "

Jess also claims they release similar maternal hormones as the real deal - making them a comfort for women struggling to conceive, or couples who have miscarried.

She added: "A lot of people think we treat these dolls exactly like you would a real baby - or we believe they're real, which is not the case. "

"They also think we're obsessed with babies - but a lot of us see these items as we would a soft toy. "

"The dolls look really beautiful and release some of the maternal hormones as you would with a real baby."

"The fact is, I keep mine in a display cabinet - you can't do that with a real baby."

As well as collecting reborn dolls, Jess makes them from scratch - and they often take 40 to 50 hours to complete.

She starts with a vinyl mold, which is already sculpted in the shape of a baby.

Then, she spends an average of 20 hours painting it - making sure she includes every "minor" detail like skin texture. "

Another 20 hours is spent sticking individual strands of "alpaca hair" to the doll. "

"It's a very long process," she said. "

"They're collectors' items."