Former TV presenter Sarah Cawood spoke about her cancer ‘anxiety’ (Picture: Instagram/@sarahcawood)
TV presenter Sarah Cawood has said she is ‘anxious’ that her breast cancer has returned and the fear is ‘like a shadow on a sunny day’.
The former host of BBC children’s Saturday morning show Live & Kicking, 51, said she hopes she is ‘overreacting’ to news she has an appointment, but wanted to show that ‘the anxiety is with you for the rest of your life’ after cancer.
Sharing a video of herself crying in bed next to her sleeping son, she wrote on Instagram: ‘I got a text today telling me I have an appointment on Tuesday…
‘I had a mammogram two weeks ago, but I also told the breast care nurses I was concerned about some marks on my other boob, so I don’t know whether this appointment is about that (which has already disappeared) or my mammogram.
‘I’m sure it’s the latter, but the fact it’s a bank holiday weekend and the appointment is so soon has me all kinds of anxious.
‘It never leaves you. The fear that It’s Back.’
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‘I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about but here’s the thing: I’m happier than I’ve ever been,’ she continued.
‘My life is wonderful and I don’t want it to end anytime soon, and this stupid f**king thing that I had, it’s always there, like a shadow on a sunny day, threatening to ruin this amazing life I’m leading.
‘I hope I’m overreacting, and I’m sure I am, but I’m posting this because this is the reality of having cancer: it never ever really leaves you. The disease does, but the anxiety is with you for the rest of your life. Here’s hoping it’s a long and healthy one.’
Cawood was tearful as she posted the vulnerable video (Picture: Instagram/@sarahcawood)
She added: ‘To all my pink sisters: I’ve got you, I feel you, I am you.’
She wrote alongside the video as she shared it: ‘This is what post-breast cancer anxiety looks like.’
Cawood, who now mainly works as a voiceover artist and podcast host, previously presented shows such as Top Of The Pops and The National Lottery as well.
In her Instagram biography she jokes that she ‘used to be famous’.
In September 2022, the presenter announced that she had been diagnosed with stage one breast cancer the previous year, and had managed to make a full recovery.
The star revealed her stage one breast cancer diagnosis in September 2022 (Picture: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage)
Cawood previously discovered another lump in her breast in June last year, just nine months after her original diagnosis.
However, her doctor’s ‘hunch’ at the time was that it was down to hormonal changes due to her treatment, with which she agreed, and nothing more came of it.
Having caught her breast cancer at stage one, the host’s course of treatment to tackle her cancer included a lumpectomy, radiotherapy and the hormone blocker Tamoxifen, which she’ll need to take for five to 10 years.
Breast cancer symptoms
The first symptom of breast cancer that most women notice is a lump or an area of thickened tissue in their breast.
You should see a GP if you notice any of the following:
a new lump or area of thickened tissue in either breast that was not there before
a change in the size or shape of one or both breasts
a discharge of fluid from either of your nipples
a lump or swelling in either of your armpits
a change in the look or feel of your skin, such as puckering or dimpling, a rash or redness
a rash (like eczema), crusting, scaly or itchy skin or redness on or around your nipple
a change in the appearance of your nipple, such as becoming sunken into your breast
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