When we speak to Danielle Lloyd, she is just three weeks post-surgery after having the gynaecological problems she has struggled with for years corrected. But she says the surgery has left her feeling pain-free, positive and ready to put the past year behind her.
She says, “The operation went well and I am feeling great. I was really nervous about the anaesthetic but it was all fine and already I’m feeling so much better.”
After struggling with endometriosis for years (a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places, like the ovaries and fallopian tubes), Danielle has long struggled with heavy and extremely painful periods. Last year, after heavy bleeding and blood clots that lasted over three weeks, Danielle was taken to hospital, where doctors found cysts on her ovaries which they immediately scanned to see if they looked like cancer. She faced an agonising wait for the results, but was told they didn’t look cancerous.
The mum-of-five was then diagnosed with adenomyosis (where the lining of the womb starts growing into the muscle in the wall of the womb) and endometrioma (ovarian cysts filled with menstrual blood and usually a sign of severe endometriosis).
Danielle, 40, explains, “I had such heavy periods and I would get so emotional around that time of the month too. I would just sit there and cry at nothing. I wasn’t coping well at all. I’d feel really emotional and my chest would feel so tight with anxiety.”
When Danielle – who is married to electrician Michael O’Neill – had her operation, doctors also found more cysts on her ovaries and cervix, which they removed and have sent for testing.
“The cysts have been sent off for a biopsy, but they did say to me that they looked normal,” she explains. “Until you get those results, it is still nerve wracking, but I feel like everything will be OK.”
Danielle – who is mum to Archie, 14, Harry, 13, George, 10, Ronnie, six, and Autumn, two – also has had to make peace with not having more children as she asked to be sterilised during the op.
She says, “Doctors told me they needed to burn off the lining of the womb and because of that it would be dangerous for me to have another baby. I am lucky to have five children. Although since having it done, I keep seeing babies everywhere and my ovaries start fluttering! I do miss that baby stage so much. I’m just going to have to wait now for my kids to have kids!”
Just last year, Danielle admitted she longed to have another girl to give Autumn a sister, but she says she has accepted that won’t happen now.
She laughs, “I think Autumn has helped with that, to be honest! I thought boys were hard and then Autumn came along, she is so demanding, but she’s so cute. I would have loved for her to have a sister but she is blessed with four older brothers and she rules the roost!”
Danielle is thrilled to have already noticed a huge improvement in her symptoms.
She says, “I have had my first period since the operation and it was almost non-existent! The agonising pain has gone and I feel so calm and positive.”
But Danielle says she was knocked by the news of The Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnosis, which she announced just a few days before her own surgery. While we don’t know much about Kate’s diagnosis, we do know she had abdominal surgery in January for a condition considered to be non-cancerous, but post-operative tests found that cancer had been present. She is now undergoing preventative chemotherapy.
Danielle says, “Her story came out just before I was due to have my operation. Then, when the surgeons told me they had removed the cysts and they were sending them off for biopsy, it made me think of her. My heart goes out to her.”
After a very difficult year health-wise, Danielle then suffered a terrifying ordeal in October when her home was broken into while the family were out. She logged onto their cameras to see masked men ransacking her home, fleeing before Danielle’s husband and the police arrived. She says the experience has had a big effect on her family, revealing, “Last year was a traumatic year. The burglary was horrendous, I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. Ronnie couldn’t sleep for weeks after.”
She says, however, that she is looking forward to a fresh start now, as she is currently having her dream home built and putting her health problems behind her.
She says, “I am really looking forward to the rest of this year: being pain-free, moving into our new home and just being there for my kids.”
At the beginning of this year, Danielle and husband Michael sold their family home in Birmingham, moved into rented accommodation and are now building their dream home elsewhere in the city.
She explains, “Someone came in with a good offer, so we thought, ‘We’ll take it and go and build our dream home somewhere else’. It’s exciting, I’m up for anything.”
The design for their new home looks nothing short of incredible, with plans for an outdoor swimming pool and sunken firepit.
She says, “It’s going to be hard work and it will be 10 months or so before it’s ready, but it will be worth it when it’s done. The kids are excited because they can design their own bedrooms. We can’t wait!”
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Annabelle Lee is a Lifestyle Editor at Bauer Media. She specialises in health, wellness and lifestyle celebrity content.