Deidre Sanders has shared that her breast cancer has returned. The This Morning star took to the ITV sofa to discuss her second time battling the illness with hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley.
Cat shared with the audience that it is not the first time the agony aunt has had such a devastating diagnosis. She said: “Two years ago, Deidre sat on this sofa to reveal that after experiencing symptoms doctors discovered a cluster of malignant cells in her right breast.”
Ben added: “Deidre underwent successful treatment for breast cancer but at her recent annual check up it revealed early signs that sadly it has returned.”
Explaining why she was on the show to talk about her cancer coming back, Deidre said: “It’s my job isn’t it to help people have difficult conversations, so if i can’t have my own then that’s a poor show.”
She added: “Because I had breast cancer two years ago, I get an annual mammogram. But totally to my surprise, it showed up that I’ve got… It’s a different breast, left breast this time and it was a tiny, tiny tiny but malignant cancer in there.
“So, unfortunately, I have got to have a lumpectomy and follow it by radiotherapy.”
She expressed that she “feels lucky” to have “caught it early”. She added that treatment is happening really quickly too, with surgery expected on October 11.
She said: “I just think I am so lucky. It could be so much worse.”
Deidre explained that the diagnosis came as a shock due to having no symptoms. She said: “I haven’t felt run down, I haven’t felt tired. I haven’t had any discomfort.
“If I did a self-check, I couldn’t feel anything because it was so tiny there’s nothing to feel. It was purely down to having the mammogram, which showed it up.”
Speaking about what went through her mind when the diagnosis was revealed to her, Deidre admitted she was “shocked”. She said: “I felt fine. I was just so taken aback, I wasn’t expecting it at all.”
The ITV star went on to make a plea to the audience, urging them to request a mammogram if they are over the age of 70. She said: “Everyone out there, please, if you’re a woman over 70 request your mammogram.
“The reason I’ve had quite an easy time and just having a lumpectomy this time and last time is because it was caught so early. If it’s missed, you’re so much more likely to have a masectomy. Or worse.”