Some This Morning viewers were took by surprise when they saw a woman bearing her breast on the daytime show - but it was all for good reason. The ITV programme was back on screens on Monday (March 27) with Holly Willougby at the helm and instead of being joined by her usual co-host Phillip Schofield, the presenter was at the helm alongside Alison Hammond.
They were joined live in the studio by Kelly Hopen after the interior designer revealed her breast cancer diagnosis after eight years of avoiding mammograms. The 63-year-old, who starred in BBC show Dragons’ Den, has said she was compelled to share her story after only learning last month she was "out of the woods".
Writing in the Daily Mail, Kelly said she could not believe her “own stupidity” after ignoring routine mammogram invitations for eight years. "It was a foolish thing to do, which is why I am writing this now: it’s a cautionary tale, a warning to others, not to be too frightened, too harried by the demands of work to go to your appointments," she said, revealing her mother had a breast cancer scare when she was relatively young.
Kelly went on to credit her executive assistant and personal assistant with ensuring she finally followed through with an appointment in September. The results eventually found Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) – meaning some cells in the lining of the ducts of the breast tissue had started to turn into cancer cells but had not yet started to spread into the surrounding breast tissue.
Appearing on This Morning, she was joined by Dr Sara Kayat and after Kelly shared how she got diagnosed after not having any obvious symptoms, Dr Sara demonstrated on a model the tell-tale signs of breast cancer.
Before that, Alison asked Dr Sara how important it was for women to attend routine breast screenings. "We know it saves 1,300 lives in the UK every year," she replied. "It is available from the ages 50 to 70, but obviously if you've got symptoms and you're not within that age group, don't wait until that point, do seek help."
Holly then went on to welcome model Leanne, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021. "By finding your own lump you got your diagnosis?" Holly asked as Leanne simply nodded in response.
"Thank you for doing this," Dr Sara said. "It is really helpful so thank you so much." The model, who was dressed in jeans and a white dressing gown, showed her bare breasts on TV in order for the GP to carry out her important demonstration.
Dr Sara said when women examine their breasts they should start by looking and then feeling. "You're looking for any changes in shape, size, or outline," she said before saying women also need to check for rashes, scaling and crusting.
But the important scenes did come as a surprise to some This Morning viewers including @TJScaverton who tweeted: "Wow… this is incredibly brave of her, didn’t expect to be seeing this over breakfast but well done to her."
Others were quick to praise the show for highlighting such an important issue and defended against some of the negative comments being shared online. @Beckie_Miller_ fumed: "Sorry for all the childish men who think a breast examination shouldn’t be on live telly."
@tashajayne5 tweeted: "Anyone moaning or making fun of the breast examination segment on #ThisMorning need to grow up. Thank you #ThisMorning for showing how to properly examine yourself, it's so so so important." @amaiamartin85 added: "Bravo for that clear breast examination! Thank you! So helpful to see it done live!! #ThisMorning."
READ NEXT:
Amazon Spring Sale 2023: best early deals today and what to expect
- Rochelle Humes says 'don't judge' after laughing off error on date night with Marvin Humes as they're branded 'hot couple'
- Pregnant Paris Fury 'tricked' into thinking she was being saved by Tyson after saying she was 'finished'
- Stacey Solomon shares health message about Joe Swash after he's missed out of new I'm A Celebrity line-up
- Gemma Atkinson forced to ditch engagement ring amid pregnancy symptom as she shares sweary Sunday message
