Olivia: This test could prevent suffering like mine

IT took four years for Hollywood star Olivia Williams to learn her symptoms were the result of a very rare pancreatic cancer. The British actress saw ten doctors across three continents as she worked on various films, but a tumour the size of two matchboxes in her pancreas went undiagnosed. Now the 54-year-old, who is about to play Camilla Parker Bowles in The Crown, is championing the Galleri test to detect early signs of pancreatic cancer before symptoms show.

Miss Williams, an ambassador for Pancreatic Cancer UK, has recovered from the disease, which is less deadly than the most common type. But she had half her pancreas, spleen and gallbladder removed, and must now take pills to digest food.

The mother-of-two said: ‘I spent four years suspecting something was wrong but not being sure. This test is the end of that, it’s a gift from the gods. It will prevent that second blow so many of us suffer – that not only do you have cancer, but that it has spread.’