Michelle’s TV call to women
A Sunderland model who promotes body positivity has featured on a national TV show with the hope of inspiring young women to “get tested”.
Michelle Ball, of Castletown, featured in E4’s new health series The Sex Clinic after finding lumps on her inner thighs.
Michelle was examined by Dr Naomi Sutton who discovered the excess skin was in fact skin tags.
The 21-year-old hopes to encourage other young women to get checked out if they have any concerns about their health.
And she also wants to raise awareness for women to attend their smear tests and would encourage anyone under the age of 25 to ask for an examination if they have any concerns.
Michelle said: “I wanted to spread awareness for young people to get tested.
“It’s inspired me to try and work on a campaign, Don’t Fear the Smear, and I’ve had a lot of support already.
“If I can go and get tested on national television then you can do it behind a curtain at the doctors. They see thousands of body parts and it’s not something we should be embarrassed about.”
Michelle, who is now trained as a dog groomer and is working towards opening her own shop with mum Michelle Kingsley, opened up about her recent break up with her fiancée on the show.
The couple were together for four years and the pair had split just months before the show was filmed last summer.
“I’d like to think that I came across as quiet confident,” said Michelle.
“It wasn’t an easy thing to do especially when talking about relationships and my past.”
The plus-size model is also looking at expanding her TV portfolio having recently filmed to feature on ITV’s Judge Rinder and is at the interview stage for First Dates Hotel.
To watch the show visit www.channel4.com/programmes/the-sex-clinic/ on-demand