Artist Tracey Emin has revealed she had to have half her vagina removed in brutal surgery to cure her aggressive bladder cancer.
The 57-year-old, who is known for her controversial work including Everyone I Have Ever Slept With and My Bed, appeared on BBC's Woman's Hour with Emma Barnett on Wednesday when she detailed exactly what went on during the surgery.
"It was unbelievable. It all happened within three weeks. The whole finding out - the diagnosis, the prognosis and the surgery. It was pretty phenomenal," she said.
Tracey discovered a tumour in her bladder while working on a painting of a lump early last year.
The artist continued: "I had my bladder removed. I had my uterus removed. My fallopian tubes, my urethra, part of my intestine. My lymph nodes and half of my vagina."
Tracey admitted she didn't know how to respond when the surgeon told her what she was going to have removed.
"It was quite funny," she told Emma. "When the surgeon was telling me what I was going to have removed, and he said my urethra, I said: 'You're joking aren't you? Please tell me there's nothing else'.
"And he goes, 'Actually, there is. Your vagina'. And that was it, I was laughing actually. But I think I was putting on a brave face at the time."
She added she is 'happy to have her life back' following the procedure.
"I think anyone that's had this sort of dramatic surgery understands what I'm talking about but actually there's not that many people.
"It is probably the same as maybe someone who has had a sex change, about what you would have to do to get it back. At the moment, I’m just really happy to get my life back. And I’m not being greedy."
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