A junior doctor has told of her down-to-earth experience trekking for five days in the Scottish Highlands with famous faces.
Gemma Buston, from Monton, was a member of 'Team Boobs' - a group of 100 women raising money for the breast cancer charity Coppafeel!
They were joined by former Hollyoaks and Emmerdale star Gemma Atkinson, I'm A Celebrity 2020 winner Giovanna Fletcher, The Voice host Emma Willis and Bake Off's Candice Brown and Selasi Gbormittah.
Gemma was selected from 800 applicants to share a life-saving message while trekking over mountains and through glens and camping out with the stars.
The trainee psychiatrist was a member of Hits Radio presenter Gemma's team, and she says the group quickly got to know each other as they left behind their home comforts.
"There was talk about poo and sweat and wild wees," she laughed.
"It was a surreal experience.
"Gemma was really lovely. She's a down-to-earth northern girl and she helped to pick people up and encourage them when they needed it."
And the actress and radio presenter, from Bury, said about the experience: "I wouldn’t have got through this week without these ladies and it only took us half day to be sharing personal stories while squatting side by side literally p***ing in the wind on a mountain!
"We’ve seen each other’s a***s, seen each other struggle, laugh and cry."
Sharing a photo of the trekkers, including people who had beaten cancer or lost loved-ones, the star told how they had inspired her.
"These woman. These wonderfully kind, caring, strong woman! I can’t quite put into words how much I’ve been inspired by every single one of them," Gemma, who has a two-year-old daughter Mia, wrote on her Instagram.
"Their stories of cancer diagnosis, to treatment, to showing me their scars to beating cancer or dealing with losing someone to cancer have all blown my mind.
"A small part of me felt a fraud on this trip because I (luckily) have no personal links to breast cancer.
"I simply took part as a female with a daughter because I know how common this disease is and I wanted to do my bit to help.
"In just a week I’ve learnt so much."
'She added: "Education on checking our boobs, looking for changes and knowing 'our normal' with boobs is SO important."
The trekkers bonded so well they've since started a WhatsApp group and plan to meet up again at Christmas.
So far Gemma, who works with mental health patients on the Moorside Unit at Trafford General Hospital, has raised more than £2,250 with the challenge for CoppaFeel! which is on a mission to stamp out the late diagnosis of breast cancer by making sure that young people are regularly checking their breasts.
She wanted to highlight in her role that cancer diagnosis has a massive impact on mental health and how exercise can help.
Last year she raised more than £1,300 for the NHS by running 11km around her 10m-long garden despite suffering from coronavirus.
To make a donation to Gemma's fundraising page click here.
To find out more about the charity visit coppafeel.org
