After Katie Price revealed to fans that her mother, Amy, had been diagnosed with a terminal illness, she has appeared on Loose Women to talk about her diagnosis.
The model and reality star revealed to fans in a heartbreaking statement that her mother’s life expectancy had been cut to just three years after she discovered she had Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a terminal lung desiese.
And now Amy has bravely come forward and spoken publically about her illness alongside Katie this afternoon.
Telling viewers how she found out about her condition, she said: "I’ve been going back to my local doctor for about five years for asthma. I kept going back saying all the inhalers aren’t working, I’ve got this little cough and I’ve had that for years.
"Then I had a chest infection, they said OK then, go and have an X-ray.
"So I had an X-ray and something showed up, so my doctor referred me to Toby, a specialist, he said yes you’ve got this condition."
Check out: Doctor Christian's advice on skin cancer
Doctor Christian's advice on skin cancer - SLIDER
1 of 4Check your moles
Elaine developed a small mole on her cheek, but years later a friend said it looked different. That's why you need to check your moles every month. It's a good idea to take photos too, because you see yourself every day and may miss changes. If you're not sure, show your mum, sister or friend. Also check places like your back, bum, scalp, soles of your feet, and between your fingers.
2 of 4Know your risk
If several relatives have had skin cancer, you're more likely to get it too, so any mole that looks suspicious should be checked. Elaine is fair-skinned, which also ups the risk, but nobody – whatever their skin type – should use sunbeds, and nobody should get burned. Burned skin is a sign you've damaged your DNA and that's a cancer risk.If you have more than 11 moles on your right arm, or any really big ones (bigger than 6mm across), your risk is increased too. If having lots of moles makes it hard to check them, you could use an app like SkinVision or Miiskin, or even pay for a mole mapping service. They cost about £150 – but if you've spent years using sunbeds, it could be a wise investment.
3 of 4What to look for
A healthy mole should be even, so both halves look the same, and the edges should be sharp – not jagged or blurred – and it should be one colour, not bigger than 6mm across and it shouldn't change. If it does, see your GP. Symptoms can take 20 years to develop, and can be caused by being burned from as far back as childhood. If you remember being as red as a lobster on childhood holidays, you need to keep checking your moles.
4 of 4Don't be fooled
Sunbeds can give out UV rays stronger than midday tropical sun, so don't think that because it's a nice machine in a shiny salon it's safe or medicalised. Those rays can also damage your eyes, so look out for dark spots or changes in your vision.Melanoma is the third most common cancer in the UK and the earlier you spot it, the easier it is to treat, so make checking your moles a monthly habit.
Amy said she was "fuming" about the condition, because she lived a healthy lifestyle, adding: "I’ve never smoked. I’ve always been a sports person.
"I go to the gym every morning, I do maybe two hours every morning and I’ve done that for years and years… And that’s why I was so surprised I’ve got a lung condition."
However she insisted she was getting on with it, much like her daughter Katie and the rest of her children were.
WATCH: Katie Price's Mum Amy Speaks Candidly About Her Terminal Lung Condition | Loose Women
"I know I’ve got it, but because I don’t feel bad, I’m tolerant of it," she said. "I think it’s the way we deal with things, like OK what’s the next stage then, what have I got to do?
"I think we just all deal with it like that. It was the same when Harvey got diagnosed, it was OK he’s got that, what do we do now?"
Katie then chipped in: "Because we don’t show reaction, people think we haven’t got a heart and that. We do.
"We’re so close knit but because we’ve had so many dramas in life we’ve got this defense mechanism how we deal with it."
Before turning to Amy and adding: "Mum, you’re not going anywhere yet, so chill out!"
Awww. We know where Katie gets her thick skin from now.
She's been putting on a brave recently despite the breakdown of her marriage and the news that Kieran Hayler cheated on her with their nanny, Nikki Brown. She also revealed that she had a miscarriage just days before Kieran cheated. You can read more abut that here.
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