Sky Sports TV presenter Jo Wilson has said she hopes to save the lives of other women by “being open” about her battle with cervical cancer.
The 37-year-old was given her diagnosis in June and is determined to “save just one other life” by encouraging women to go for regular smear tests.
She is currently undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment for stage three cervical cancer.
In an interview with OK! magazine, the presenter urged women to “get your smear” as part of Gynaecological Cancer Awareness month.
She said: “The last person in the public eye with cervical cancer was Jade Goody.
“After Jade’s death, more women went for smear tests, but now one in three who are eligible don’t go. I really want to change that.
“If I can save just one other life by being open about my battle, then it’s worth speaking out.”
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A gynaecologist identified the warning signs of cancer, with further tests showing the disease had spread to two of her lymph nodes.
“It’s terrifying to think I could have put it off even longer,” she said. “Cervical cancer can be quite slow growing. But it’s different for everybody.”
The mother-of-one added: “I cried while a lovely nurse held my hand.
“I said to the doctor ‘Am I going to die?’. ‘You’re not going to die,’ he reassured me. ‘It’s very treatable and it’s very curable’.
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“I try to hold on to that, but there are no guarantees.
“The lack of control can be quite difficult because the treatment will either work or it won’t.
“I’m trying to live in the present and get this through.”
