Reality star Olivia Attwood is today feeling lucky to be alive after a cancer scare.
The 26-year-old became nervous earlier this year when a lump on her right breast started growing.
Fearing it could be life-threatening, Olivia booked a check-up.
In her only interview, she said: “I’d had a lump for about three years and it was benign and wasn’t changing.
“But then during the first lockdown I was getting quite a lot of pain in my chest. I could feel the lump was bigger.
“When I realised it had started to grow, I started to feel nervous about it.
Olivia Attwood on breast cancer scare on her instagram (Image: Instagram)
“It was aching and uncomfortable.
“In that situation you do start to feel concerned. I tried to be rational. But it’s not unheard of to get cancer in your late 20s.”
Olivia went to get a check-up and was told the lump – which was a fibroadenoma – had doubled in size.
She added: “The doctor said, ‘I don’t think it’s breast cancer, but you never really know what something is until you biopsy it’. So it was decided that I’d have it taken out.”
Olivia Attwood with her fella Bradley Dack (Image: ITV)
Olivia then had the surgery to have the lump removed.
She said: “I’m really lucky because so many women go through this and they don’t get the same news. There are women dealing with horrendous situations. I really feel very lucky.”
The scans showed Olivia had another lump, so docs recommended yearly check-ups to ensure it does not become a risk.
That includes having an ultrasound scan.
Love Island’s Olivia all glammed up (Image: Olivia Attwood/Instagram)
Olivia let a camera crew follow her when she went for surgery.
After the footage aired on her reality show last week, scores of women got in touch about it.
She said: “I’ve had a lot of messages from girls saying they have been chasing up with their GPs about lumps they have found that they had been ignoring.”
Olivia added: “I want to spread awareness and encourage more women to check their breasts.
“People think getting a check-up is embarrassing.
“But doctors do this every week. It does feel a bit weird but is so important.
“Every year I go for the necessary checks. As long as you are doing the checks, even if the worst does happen you then have the best chance.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
