Former Loose Women panellist Carol McGiffin has opened up for the first time about her secret year-long battle with breast cancer.
The 54-year-old revealed she was diagnosed last April after discovering a lump while showering but kept quiet about the illness because she didn't want anyone to feel sorry for her.
Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, the 2013 Big Brother winner said: "There weren’t any tears.
"Cancer is not the death sentence it used to be if it’s caught early because there is loads of good research. You just have to get on with what life throws at you.”
Ms McGiffin said her treatment meant losing her hair and having a mastectomy.
"When you look at yourself in the mirror and you don’t recognise your reflection it is very weird," she said.
"I have been wearing a hat – and a wig on a few occasions, although it is really uncomfortable. I kept thinking it was going to fall off!"
Ms McGiffin, who plans to marry her 33-year-old partner Mark next year, explained her reasons for wanting to have breast reconstructive surgery.
She said: "I don’t relish the idea of another giant scar on my body but I want to be able to wear a bikini again.
“It’s not an issue about femininity, it’s about missing a body part. If you’d lost half a leg you’d get it replaced if you could, wouldn’t you? Why is a breast any different?"
