Adrienne Bailon is opening up about her pregnancy journey.

The former talk-show host shared with PEOPLE her struggles to conceive with husband Israel Houghton so everyone was shocked on Dec. 11, 2021, when she announced that the surrogate she privately hired was pregnant, she told the entertainment news outlet.

"Even my sister, who watched The Real throughout the whole last season, literally said to me, 'Adrienne, I am impressed.' She's like, 'I am so proud of you. You are really holding this.' I did that because it was really sacred to me," Bailon, 38, said about her pregnancy journey, which she notes only six people knew about initially.

Bailon had previously detailed her struggles, hoping it would help viewers and her fans experiencing something similar. She says didn’t realize how hard it was going to be when she didn’t have happy news to share.

RELATED: Adrienne Bailon Shares A Sweet Video Highlighting Her Life As A New Mom—See The Star's Baby Boy!

Also, Bailon says the highs and lows of her attempts to conceive were mentally taking a toll on her, which caused her to stay quiet about it.

"It was important to me for my own mental wellbeing and for my family," Bailon says. "I was just like, 'I'm just not going to say anything.' It was actually very peaceful that way. You didn't have other people's opinions."

After eight failed in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles and a miscarriage, Bailon found herself with what she thought was only one viable embryo. On the advice of her doctor, she and her husband decided to explore surrogacy, which presented a different set of emotions.