ASTONISHING COURAGE OF MUM Cancer destroyed my face. Now I’ve found love. I can’t believe I have my happy ever after

shrink it, she faced a major operation and had only a 20 per cent chance of survival. Andrea said: “I was told if the chemo didn’t shrink the tumour they could do nothing. “I d didn’t cry. I was in shock. I br broke down once, at my sister Tracy’s, and then s got on with it.” Plucky Andrea was supported by her family, i ncluding daughter Gemma, 32, and sons Jo John, 28, and Stuart, 24, th through three lots of chem chemo. Her hair fell out as sheh f foughth to stay alive. The tumour shrank so in November 2011 she had a 20-hour operation to remove her nose, top lip, cheekbone, the roof of her mouth and her gums. Her appearance was dramatically changed. She said: “I was in hospital for three weeks. I avoided the mirror but one day I caught sight of myself and I broke down. It was that awful.

“Not to blow my own trumpet but I had been petite and good-looking. “They had explained what they were

ig going to do but until I saw it I had never expected it to be so bad. My sister later confessed she had only recognised me because of my hands.”

Bubbly

eye shut to sleep. The formerly bubbly catering supervisor who loved chatting and joking with people now feared going out because of the stares of strangers and was terribly lonely.

It was only when she was fitted with a prosthetic nose two years ago that she plucked up the courage to sign up for online dating.

She said: “I put pictures of me from before wi t h an explanation of what had happened. It was scary.

“I got a request from a guy called Corrie and we messaged before speaking on the phone. I sent photos of myself that day. I kept saying, ‘Don’t look at me for what I look like, it’s what’s inside that counts.’ He was fine about it.” Andrea and divorced welder Corrie met at his home in March 2014 as she didn’t want to go out in public.

She said: “There was a big bunch of flowers outside his front door. We sat there talking. He’s very quiet, so different to me, but the conversation flowed from the beginning. I think that’s when we both knew. That October, we went to a jeweller’s for an engagement ring.”

Andrea said their wedding was amazing. She recalled: “When I got in the car with Dad on the way to tie the knot, I wept tears of happiness.

“I love all the pictures – I never thought I’d feel like that again.”

Andrea, who recently received a six figure payout because of NHS delays in her diagnosis, has several more ops to improve her face and has cancer check-ups every six months.

She said the payout has helped her a great deal. She said: “We have just bought a bungalow.

“Even if I’m OK in myself I get tired and I do struggle with stairs. We’ll be moving in in the next couple of weeks.

“If I’m with Corrie, nothing bothers me. He had always wanted kids and never had the chance so he loves my grandchildren.” She added: “I’m just so thankful and feel so lucky.”