Screening could save thousands
1995 to 2001 and has since made several return appearances. In 1999 her character and Jasmine Bates, played by Elly Fairman, sparked controversy by having a lesbian fling.
She is also known for presenting Loose Women and the interior design show 60 Minute Makeover.
Terri said of the threat t hanginga g g overove her: “I don’t dwell on it everyery day.
“When my dad was dyinging in hospital of cancer he said, id, ‘Don’t forget to stop someetimes, look up and see how blue the sky is and how green the leaves are on the trees’.
“Now I always look upp when I’m outside. I try to live more in the moment.
“And I know how lucky I am to have my amazing children and husband husband. But because of what I’ve had to deal with, I do care about t he f uture.”
Terri will be fronting the ovarian cancer campaign on Lorraine all this week. Called VIPs – Very Important Parts – it will encourage women to look out for signs of the disease.
She said: “I’ve been shocked by how little people know about it.
“It’s the sixth biggest cancer in the UK and a woman dies from it every two hours. One in 52 of us will be hit with it.
“So why are we not frightened, like we are of other cancers? I honestly don’t think people realise how bad it is. I think the Government should be doing more to raise awareness. They harp on about how obesity is draining NHS funds and roll out an anti-sugar campaign.
“So why aren’t they doing more to raise awareness of ovarian cancer?
“Surely improving detection rates would save the NHS lots of money?” Terrie u urged ged w women: “If you’re feeling unwell th the message is simple, go to yo your GP. If you feel you’re beingbei turned away prematurely,tu insist on a second opiniono or a referral.
“The trouble is that many of the symptoms of ovariano cancer can echo othero things, like irritable bowelbo syndrome.
“Things to look out for includeincl bloating of the stomach,stomach feelingfee full or a loss of appetite, abnormal bleeding and abdominal or back pain. Women need to be aware. People think it just affects older women but anyone can have it.”
Terri’s mother Doreen was only diagnosed with ovarian cancer after she had been found to have lung cancer. Terri was just 22 when she died.
Her dad Tony died of stomach cancer in 2003 aged only 50.
And Terri herself has had several close shaves with death.
In 1991, when she was 18, she nearly died in a car crash. After being taken to hospital with a fractured jaw and a broken arm and leg, she lay in a coma for a week. Terri was also diagnosed with a deadly form of skin cancer a few years ago. She believes it was caused by using sunbeds in her teens.
The cancer was cut out but she still regularly has new moles removed.
She said: “I am very closely monitored. The melanoma I had won’t be my last.”
Speaking of her mother’s early death, she said: “Had she watched a campaign like ours on Lorraine I have no doubt she could be alive today.”
Frustrating
“What is even more frustrating is she was a nurse but didn’t pick up the signs.”
Terri, married to TV executive Sean Marley, 47, struggles to explain the loss of their grandmother to her two boys.
She said: “They’ve been asking a lot of questions about my mum lately and I realised I can’t answer them all.
“It’s hard raising kids. There are days I don’t feel like I’m m doing a good job. Not having Mumm to say, ‘Don’t beat yourself up, you’re doing fine,’ is hard.
“I used to be passionate e about raising cancer awarenesseness because of Mum – but now I feel duty-bound.”
The VIPs campaign is launched on ITV’s Lorraine tomorrow from 8.30am. JO Stanford, the Cancer Prevention Officer at research charity Ovarian Cancer Action, said: “It’s important to remember that most cancer isn’t hereditary and genetic mutations aren’t common enough for it to be cost effective to test everyone. “You need more than a 10 per cent chance of having a BRCA1/2 mutation to get tested on the NHS. This is based on who in your family has had cancer (including the men), and at what age. “In practice, access to testing varies across the country. In some regions you can get tested even if all your relatives affected by cancer have died – but in others you can’t. “And although all women with certain types of cancer are eligible, not all are tested. This inequality is unacceptable. BRCA testing is important as there’s no reliable screening for ovarian cancer. If more people could be tested, we could save thousands of lives. “If you are concerned about your family risk, use our risk tool ( ovarian.org.uk/ brca) and ask your GP to refer you to your local genetics team.”