Love Island star Demi Jones has said she wishes she had told her family about her thyroid cancer before announcing her diagnosis on social media.
The reality star TV told her fans her devastating news and had to undergo surgery to remove a golf-ball-sized lump from her neck.
She still has to undergo further treatment to destroy any remaining cancer cells.
Demi confessed her regret in an interview with Zeze Millz: "When I first found out it could be cancerous, I was in shock and I was crying because I went on social media, and I shouldn’t have done that because I hadn’t even told my family yet.
"I don’t even know why, I can’t even tell you because my head was scrambled and I was like 'Oh my God, guys!'"
The 22-year-old recently revealed she had six medical appointments cancelled within the seven months before her diagnosis.
Demi explained how she was unable to see a specialist due to the coronavirus pandemic and also adds that when she did eventually see a medical professional that she was told she had nothing to worry about as her test results came back all clear.
"They referred me straight away, but every time an appointment came through for another scan and blood test it was cancelled," Demi told The Sun.
However, the star - who rose to fame on Love Island in 2020 - pushed for further tests as she witnessed what her stepfather went through with his cancer battle.
The star's stepfather Adrian was 46 when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma and given months to live.
A year and a half before his results, Adrian found a lump in his ear which he thought to be skin cancer, but he struggled to get a referral to a specialist.
Demi shared how Adrian's experience made her push for more testing.
"They were about to send me away, but all I could think of was that they did that to Dad," she added to the outlet.
"It was only when they scanned his full body that they found cancer in his chest. So I asked if there were any more tests they could do."
