The co-founder of a gynaecological cancer charity has had a cervical smear test on live television in a bid to combat the stigma around a health check that can potentially save thousands of lives.
Chloe Delevingne, the older sister of the models Cara and Poppy Delevingne and co-founder of the Lady Garden gynaecological cancer fund, has been campaigning to raise awareness on cervical cancer prevention after a smear test discovered abnormal cells when she was 21.
“It is a bit nerve-wrecking, but you just need to relax and talk to the doctor about it,” she said on BBC Two’s Victoria Derbyshire show.
“It’s not painful, it’s just weird,” she said during the procedure on Friday.
The 30-second smear test can identify abnormal cells that could potentially develop into cervical cancer. However, recent figures show that cervical screening is at its lowest levels in two decades, with one in three women not taking their screening tests every three years as recommended for women aged 25 to 49 or every five years for women aged 50 to 64, according to the NHS.
Delevingne’s decision to undergo the procedure live on television comes after a survey published earlier this week suggested that young women were put off smear tests due to feelings of embarrassment and concerns about being hurt.
The charity Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust found that those aged 25 to 35 were also put off by the idea of a stranger examining them.
About 220,000 women are diagnosed with cervical abnormalities every year in the UK and there were 854 deaths from cervical cancer in England in 2016.
Theresa May encouraged women to take smear tests during her weekly PMQs in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
When asked to back the life-saving tests, May said she understood that they could be uncomfortable and even painful but called on all women to make sure they took up the offer of a test.
She said: “I, as a prime minister, can stand here and say this, I know what it’s like to go through a cervical smear test.
“It is not comfortable. Sometimes, for some, it will be embarrassing. Sometimes it’s painful, but those few minutes can save lives, so I would encourage all women to take up their smear tests.”
