Michelle Heaton appeared on Loose Women today to discuss ovarian cancer charity Ovacome’s 2016 campaign, a charity that is close to her heart.
Michelle made the life-changing decision to have a double mastectomy when she found out she had the cancer mutation gene BRCA2.
And, while she is confident that she made the right decision for herself and for her family, the former Liberty X star admitted that she still gets very emotional about it.
Particularly when it comes to her four-year-old daughter, Faith.
Sitting down with fellow panellists Andrea McLean, Penny Lancaster and Jane Moore, she opened up about her fears that her young daughter will have the same gene.
Unable to hold back the tears, Michelle said: “I mean every time that I talk about this, or sometimes I’m out and about and women come up to me and sometimes they break down and they cry and then I cry and then we all cry.
“And Faith’s like ‘why did she come up to you? Why are you crying Mummy?’
“She’s starting to get that something’s happened because she knows I’ve had an effect on other people and they have an effect on me and it kind of hurts me because I don’t know how it will affect her growing up because she’ll suddenly realise that she could have it.”
Michelle added: “Imagine having that decision aged 18, do I have a hysterectomy?
“At such a young age, to prevent what could possibly happen before even having children.
“I was lucky I had one child already so I was blissfully aware almost. But then the other side of it is that hopefully Faith will be equipped with knowledge that many women [won’t have].”
BRCA gene mutations are associated with both breast and ovarian cancer.
Those who have a BRCA gene mutation have a 35-60% chance of developing ovarian cancer and an 80% chance of developing breast cancer.
Katherine Taylor, Chief Executive of Ovarian Cancer Action, says: “Almost one in five (17%) women with ovarian cancer carries a BRCA gene mutation (a la Angelina Jolie) We all have BRCA genes but the likelihood of developing ovarian cancer if you have a mutation in one of these genes increases from one in 52, to one in two.
“Knowing your BRCA status can be beneficial whether you have ovarian cancer or not. Those that do can make more informed treatment decisions and have the opportunity to pass information on to at risk family members.
“Knowing you’re at risk, even if you don’t have cancer, gives you the option to take preventative measures.”
Find out more about ovarian cancer - including the warning signs, symptoms and treatments - on our ovarian cancer information page now.