The 47-year-old TV host spoke from her hospital bed after undergoing a mastectomy, telling the camera that “this morning I had breast cancer… This evening I don’t.”
Still in her hospital gown from the surgery, she said: “I went under the anaesthetic at about quarter to eleven this morning and woke up at about quarter to three, because I remember looking at the clock and thinking the children will be coming out of school soon, my children.
“I feel alright, I can’t believe it. The NHS staff have been awesome,
“I’m completely in awe of them, they are so inspiring and so caring and I feel so grateful to them.”
She added: “The reason I wanted to talk about what has happened to me is that I am a pretty open person. But also because more than one in three people will be diagnosed with cancer. And here’s the thing: having cancer is manageable.
“Having a mastectomy is totally do-able. I didn’t know that until I got cancer. And that’s what I want to tell people. I know everyone is different, and has different experiences.
“This is mine. And I hope you don’t mind me sharing that with you.”
Victoria must now wait a few weeks before doctors decide if she will need to undergo other treatments along with mastectomy.
She explained: “It feels like being punched in the side – but it’s not the end of the world. It’s more like – anyone with boys will know this – you are playing football, and the kids bash you, because they don’t realise the chest is so sensitive. It’s achey and dull, not searing by any stretch of the imagination.”
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