She thinks of it as her “perky friend” who saved her life after a cancer scare.
The Duke of York’s ex-wife, who had single mastectomy surgery, told her podcast: “I am just coming to terms with my new best friend Derek, on my left, he’s called Derek.
“He’s very important because he saved my life.”
I am just coming to terms with my new best friend Derek, on my left
Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah Thomson, her co-host on the Tea Talks podcast, asked why she picked the name Derek.
The 63-year-old replied: “I don’t know. It just made me laugh that I have now a friend who is with me all the time who is protecting me with his shield of armour.”
She added: “I have a got a perky here friend on my left.
“Poor Eric on the right is feeling rather sad because he is not as perky as Derek on the left but I will get Eric balanced, don’t worry.”
Sarah said she is “getting much better” and that she was “kind of proud of the amazing work” of the surgeons and doctors who helped her.
She discovered she had an early form of breast cancer during a routine mammogram.
Since she does not feel able to travel for about a month as she recovers, Sarah added that she can perhaps make plans for next year’s holidays.
In an earlier podcast, Sarah spoke of being “blown away” by the love she had received from around the world after an eight-hour single mastectomy operation.
It had been “moving” to receive a note saying: “You are the strongest, bravest person I know and it’s because of you that I’m still here.”
She added that the support she has received had given her strength to “go forward”.
