2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Rebecca Russell, Peter Hart)
Sarah Ferguson has boldly opened up about her personal struggle with cancer , admitting she was "frightened" yet resolutely set on defending her own story. The Duchess of York has been named patron of Prevent Breast Cancer in Manchester , an announcement coming just before she hits a milestone 65th birthday on October 15. Reflecting on the weight of the role, she spoke to OK! , revealing how it has sharpened her perspective.
Having faced and come through a mastectomy and reconstructive operation due to breast cancer , Sarah's commitment is even more poignant as the Nightingale Centre in Manchester endeavours to gather the remaining £600,000 essential for securing the National Breast Imaging Academy's future. During a visit to Manchester on Wednesday, 9 October, the Duchess spent her morning immersed in the centre, engaging with patients and recounting her own courageous fight against cancer – alongside stars from Coronation Street star Sally Dynevor and Sue Cleaver . The Duchess has previously shared intimate details of her cancer fight on her podcast Tea Talks , confiding with close pal Sarah Thomson that her ordeal compelled her to begin "fighting for Sarah" and concentrate on putting her well-being at the forefront.
As she anticipates celebrating her significant birthday, Sarah revealed: "My mindset going forward is to not be self-full but to be self love. If you don't keep your boundaries for yourself, who is going to do it for you? If you don't keep your authentic truth, who is going to do it for you?" Reflecting on her initial trepidation before the podcast debut, the Duchess confessed: "I was so frightened to do that podcast, Sarah [Thomson] gave me enough strength and she encouraged me to do it and, of course, it was the right thing to do. We need to have more self-love and have the boundaries to take a moment to ourselves.
" Afterwards, the Duchess paid a visit to the Coronation Street set , where she met Sally Dynevor, who portrays Sally Metcalfe in the long-running soap. Sally, who received treatment at the Nightingale Centre after her breast cancer diagnosis in 2009, couldn't sing the Duchess' praises enough for her instant willingness to support the charity by any means necessary. Sally revealed her impromptu conversation with Fergie behind the scenes at Loose Women , when the pair were guests on the show, and which led to the Duchess supporting the charity.
She explained: "It was an off the cuff mark that I thought I just had this feeling because Sarah's very warm and I suddenly thought, I need to tell her what we're doing up here in Manchester because it's so important and she's been through breast cancer, so she understands completely." She continued, revealing the Duchess' immediate response to her request for support, saying: "I just said, 'Would you come up to see my charity and breast cancer?' And she said, 'Absolutely'. I told her about the breast screening academy that we're raising the money for, and we need to raise 600,000 and she said, 'I'll help you raise it.
' And I instantly knew she was going to do it." In expressing her deep admiration, a charity founder remarked, "She's very kind and warm, and she's been through breast cancer. She knows exactly what it feels like.
She knows the importance of breast screening so when I got a phone call saying that she would come in October, I just thought this is amazing for the charity." During the event, the Duchess opened up: "I think a lot of people are frightened to talk. They're frightened that they don't know where to go or what to do.
" She continued, praising Sally Dynevor, saying: "Sally is brilliant, and I think if it really helps to talk about it, and it helps more people not be frightened...
that's a good, good job. What I noticed today was I had a few private conversations with patients and they couldn't get over that I was here having had a mastectomy, and that I said, 'I've had a mastectomy. Here I am'.
" Reflecting on the patients' fears, she shared, "One of them in particular said, 'oh, so it wasn't as frightening as you being led to believe?'. And I said, 'No, it's OK, just get good lymph drainage in after the operation'. I think that's crucial, because there is nothing worse than that fear.
I had that fear as soon as I was diagnosed, I had that fear of death. You think it's a death sentence. It's not.
" When questioned about her post-treatment condition, the duchess confidently responded: "I'm doing very well, thank you. If I was talking Gen Z I'd say 'slay'." The charity has kicked off a campaign to gather £600,000 in donations aimed at protecting the future of Manchester's National Breast Imaging Academy.
This vital institution aspires to educate 50 breast imaging experts every year, enhancing UK-wide breast services and allowing for an additional 13,000 screening appointments annually in Manchester. Sarah spoke about her new role as patron and her personal brush with the disease, explaining: "I know first-hand what it feels like to hear the words 'breast cancer' and learn that you are facing a life-changing diagnosis, course of treatment and recovery. It's the news everyone dreads but I consider myself one of the lucky ones, because my cancer was caught early at a routine mammogram which meant that my prognosis was good.
" She continued to emphasize the need for regular check-ups by saying, "It's thanks to my mammogram that I'm here today, so I can't overstate how important it is that women go for their routine appointments whenever they are called up. It's extremely worrying that a third of women are missing their screening at the moment. The fact is that the NHS screening programme is also under significant pressure from staffing shortfalls and the future of this programme could be at risk if we don't act now to protect it.
The National Breast Imaging Academy offers a solution: training new experts and increasing screening capacity to protect our national breast screening programme and save lives in the years ahead.".
