Losing my hair was worse than my mastectomy
BBC’s Victoria after breast cancer battle
BBC broadcaster Victoria Derbyshire has admitted losing her hair was the most upsetting part of chemotherapy for breast cancer, as she removed her wig publicly for the first time.
Revealing a thick head of curly locks as she updated her video diary, the presenter, 48, announced: “It’s time to stop wearing a wig.”
Victoria, who started treatment in December 2015, said “maybe three quarters” of her hair fell out.
During her video message, she continued: “I have to say losing my hair was the worst bit about cancer treatment for me, more so than having a mastectomy. Don’t judge me for that, it’s just the way I felt.
“I’m grateful for this wig because it helped me get on with things, go to work, live my life normally without worrying. But it is time for it to go.” Removing the hair piece, she went on: “And this is my new hair, this is about 12 months of growth since chemo. And it’s come back as thick as it was, if not thicker. As shiny as it was, slightly more ringlety.”
The former BBC Radio 5 Live host, who presents current affairs show Victoria Derbyshire on BBC2, added: “This is proof, if proof were needed, that once chemotherapy is complete your hair does grow back and when you’re in some of those dark moments during chemo you do doubt that, as irrational and absurd as that sounds.
“But your body does slowly renew itself once chemo is complete and there’s something really optimistic about that.”
Victoria also shows off her new hair in images that will appear in her book, Dear Cancer, Love Victoria.
The frank account of how she dealt with her diagnosis and treatment will be published in September. Rachel Rawson, senior clinical nurse specialist at the charity Breast Cancer Care, said: “Victoria’s bravery in sharing how difficult she found hair loss and her worries about no longer wearing a wig will be inspirational to others facing the same anxieties.
“Many women tell us losing their hair is the hardest part of their breast cancer, even tougher than diagnosis or surgery. Wearing a wig gives some women confidence through treatment, but the thought of finally facing the world without it can be daunting.”
Victoria, who has two sons, aged 10 and 13, with BBC editor husband, Mark Sandell, discovered she had breast cancer in July 2015.
She broke the news on Twitter and regularly updated video diaries during six rounds of chemotherapy, 30 doses of radiotherapy and a mastectomy.
Victoria hoped to reassure other women dealt the devastating diagnosis and “demystify” the treatment.
During her chemotherapy, Victoria described feeling like she had a “severe hangover” and said the process left her “drained and low”.
The presenter also revealed her mastectomy scar seven months after the operation. She still takes the anticancer drug Tamoxifen.