Model and mum-of-four, Danielle Lloyd, 35, backs our cervical screening campaign and is urging other women to attend their cervical screening when they’re invited, too.
Speaking exclusively to Closer, she said, "As a mum-of-four, I know only too well how difficult it can be to take time to look after yourself when you’re juggling a busy household, but it’s so important to attend every screening you’re invited to, no matter how hectic life is.
"When my cervical screening invite came through a few weeks ago, I booked my appointment straight away," Danielle added. "I was shocked to hear that one in four women don’t attend their screenings and the number of women attending their cervical screening has fallen to a 20-year low. It shouldn’t be that way, so if we can, we should all be taking up the opportunity," she urged.
Cervical screening can prevent potentially harmful cells developing and stop cancer before it starts. Speaking about her experience of cervical screening, Danielle told us that "the test only takes a few minutes and it’s so important - screening could save your life."
"While we know it may be a bit daunting, particularly if it’s your first one, there’s nothing to fear and there’s a lot of information out there so you can find out more."
Proving that busy mums can make time to attend their screenings, she revealed that she took her son Ronnie to her most recent test. "He sat in the pram while I had the test done, that’s how easy it is. I laid on the bed next to the pram, and I held Ronnie's hand while the nurse did the test.
"At the end of the day, I want to be there to see my kids and my future grandkids grow up. My health is important to me - I’ve had benign lumps in my breasts before and luckily everything was okay, but it made me realise that you have to look after yourself and take responsibility for your health. I value my health too much to miss a cervical screening."
If you're worried about attending yours, Danielle's words of advice would be to "talk to other people about it, your mum, sister, friends or even your nurse. Between my girlfriends, we all encourage each other to have our checks and make sure we never ignore our cervical screening invitations. It's better to be safe than sorry and a few minutes spent having a test that could help save your life is more important than any embarrassment or awkwardness.”