Deirdre Sanders has shared on This Morning that her breast cancer has returned.
The much-loved advice columnist disclosed last September that she had been quietly fighting the disease.
She previously discussed her diagnosis with This Morning’s Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, saying at the time: “I think people panic at the word cancer often, and they can be scared of even going to a doctor with their initial worry because they’re terrified of getting a diagnosis, even though getting the diagnosis is what leads to treatment.
“We can be so scared about that word so I am really happy to bring it out into the open.”
She also expressed gratitude for the support she received from medical staff: “I have to say the breast clinic I have been attending are so kind and caring, they have been so lovely. That is very reassuring.”
Returning to This Morning today, Deirdre confirmed that her breast cancer has returned. She revealed: “Unfortunately, I’ve got to have a lumpectomy followed by radiotherapy. I feel lucky, it’s been caught early and the treatment is happening very rapidly.”
Deirdre has shared her experience of how the NHS played a crucial role in identifying her cancer, “This is all on the NHS so I think I am so lucky. It could be so much worse. To be honest, the symptoms I had the first time were a coincidence and not actually a symptom of the cancer as it turns out.
“An efficient GP put me on the cancer pathway and I got a very rapid check and treatment. I’ve felt well, I haven’t felt tired or run down. I couldn’t feel anything, it’s very tiny so there’s nothing to feel. It’s purely down to the mammogram which showed it up. I had an ultrasound and a biopsy and it revealed it was cancer.”, reports the Mirror.
She expressed how unexpected the diagnosis was, saying, “I was shocked. I felt fine. I was so taken aback, I wasn’t expecting it at all”. Deirdre is now advocating for women over 70 to take action and request their mammograms from the NHS, highlighting that while regular calls stop at age 70, older women can still request them: “My big point about this is that on the NHS system, I’m not criticising it, the call for mammograms stop when you are 70.”
Having missed previous scans herself, Deirdre encourages vigilance among older women: “I happened to be in a cohort of women who got missed and we didn’t get called. I hadn’t had a mammogram since I was 67, so ten years had gone by. I didn’t give it a thought. I didn’t know anything about it. But what I do now know is that when you’re over 70, you can request a mammogram on the NHS and you should get one every year. Please, if you’re a woman over 70, request your mammogram. The reason I’ve had an easy time this time and last time is because it was caught so early.”
This Morning airs weekdays on ITV at 10am