Adele Roberts has revealed how lucky she is to be alive after being diagnosed with bowel cancer - and says she hopes to be clear of the disease in just weeks.
The Radio 1 DJ is currently undergoing chemotherapy and says she is an example of how doctors can save lives if cancer is treated in time.
"I have one more round of chemo to go after the one I’m currently on," she says. "Then I'll have another scan and finger crossed I'll be cancer free! I pray for that day!
"I should hopefully be cancer free by the end of May - and if I am I can’t wait to celebrate with my family and friends."
Adele, who first found fame on Big Brother 2 alongside Alison Hammond and Jade Goody is supporting ITV Lorraine's No Butts campaign - to raise awareness of the UK's second-biggest cancer killer.
And she reveals that, despite side effects from her treatment, she is determined to keep a positive attitude.
"Since chemo I suffer mainly with side effects of the skin," she says. "I have hand and foot syndrome. My hands and feet have constant pins and needles. Sometimes I can't even stand up, my feet hurt so much or bend my fingers properly."
She said: "Quite often I need help carrying bags or opening bottles. My fingers don't always register on smart screens, I have dark spots on my tongue, my body is really going through it but thankfully my spirit is good.
"Cancer has given me a new perspective on life and I intend to make the most of it. I also like to do a little 'up yours' to cancer every day, so it's vital for me to stay positive mentally whilst listening to my body physically. I have lots of afternoon chemo naps at the moment - they're very good.
"My mindset is understanding that I can’t control the cancer but I can control my response. I focus on what I can do, not what I can’t."
Adele's partner Kate Holderness first urged her to see her GP after she noticed symptoms when she went to the toilet.
Adele said: "I was at stage two and spread to my liver, but they got it in time. I'm on chemotherapy now, and I am just living my life.”
After surgery to remove the tumour she now has a stoma bag which she has named Audrey after the plant on Little Shop of Horrors.
Adele said: "I'm so grateful to Audrey as having her with me allows my body to heal."
Bowel cancer is the UK’s second-biggest cancer killer after lung cancer. More than nine out of ten new cases (94%) are diagnosed in people over the age of 50, and nearly six out of ten cases (59%) are diagnosed in people aged 70 or over.
But bowel cancer can affect anyone of any age. More than 2,600 new cases are diagnosed each year in people under the age of 50.
Adele added: "I wasn’t aware of bowel cancer at all before I was diagnosed with it. If I hadn't seen a campaign like No Butts, it would have made me be a bit quicker to get in touch with my GP.
"We go to the toilet every day - maybe not a number two - but it's a chance for you to check everything is okay, and you can catch it early. I am so lucky that I went to the doctor when I did."
The 43-year-old first noticed something was wrong when she saw mucus in her stools. She said: "I thought it might be IBS but just didn't have cancer on my radar, but when the mucus became a regular thing, my partner Kate said I had to see a doctor.
"At the time, I just thought I don't feel ill; I'm really fit, I eat a good diet so it can't be cancer. My advice is to go and get a self-testing kit and know this can affect anyone; even my doctor thought I was too young to get bowel cancer."
Nearly everyone survives bowel cancer if diagnosed at the earliest stage. However, this drops significantly as the disease develops.
"I still can't believe it's happened," Adele says. "It doesn't feel real. It's not even been six months since my surgery. I was diagnosed on October 1, 2021 and had my operation on 25th."
"The NHS has been amazing and I’m lucky to have been treated so quickly. I’m just so grateful my partner Kate was in the room with me. She was an incredible support to me that day.
"I couldn't have done this without her. She’s pretty much been my carer through all of this. She read all the cancer forums and searched online for me to get information before my operation.
"Just so I didn’t see anything that would upset or scare me. She helped me tell my parents which was the hardest thing for me to do. I was more upset for them than me.
"We also got even more intimate very quickly, I don’t think there's a part of my body or bowels she hasn’t seen!
"She opens my bottles for me when my hands are hurting from the chemotherapy, she helps to put lotion on my feet (which I suffer with too), she puts up with all of the side effects, she's even growing fond of my blackened tongue! Haha!
"She's seen my tumour, my bum (!) and she is the best nurse to my little stoma Audrey. Kate is amazing, she's accepted everything that’s come our way."
"She's never judged me or made me feel like there’s anything wrong with me. She is my motivation to get out of bed everyday and give this journey my best shot.”
The No Butts campaign, which launched last year, has already saved one life.
After watching Lorraine's No Butts campaign in 2021, Charlotte Meddings from Ipswich made an appointment with her doctor and was later diagnosed with bowel cancer.
The 33-year-old mum of two children - William, 12, and ten-year-old daughter Olivia - says she had no idea about symptoms until she heard Lorraine discussing warning signs.
Charlotte said: "I just had the telly on in the background while I was making some coffee after dropping the kids off, and Lorraine and a doctor were talking about looking for bowel changes.
"It stopped me in my tracks - I had been very constipated for the past few weeks. The only way I could go to the toilet was to exercise beforehand, which left me quite uncomfortable.
"I tried natural laxatives, but it was still a real struggle. I didn’t have any idea why this was suddenly happening to me."
"The doctor on TV mentioned that it was a symptom when things go over the three-week mark, you should get checked out, and I knew it had been longer for that for me, so I just stopped what I was doing, got my phone and made an appointment with my GP."
At the appointment, GP referred Charlotte for a colonoscopy and blood test and after a further test doctors found a polyp - a potentially cancerous growth of tissue.
However, it was too big to remove, so a third colonoscopy was arranged at Ipswich hospital two months later when it was removed, and doctors discovered it contained the tumour.
She said: "I was frightened but did my best to put it out of my mind so I could just get on being a mum and make sure the children didn’t know anything was wrong."
After the polyp removal, a consultant confirmed it had been bowel cancer.
Charlotte said: "I was stunned and the consultant seemed just as stunned - she kept repeating how young I was. I’m a fit, healthy person; I do yoga, I eat well.
"I held it together in the consultants' room, but I was so upset at home. I cried a lot on my parents' shoulders. They live nearby and were there to support me"
Charlotte had an operation to remove part of her bowel to check cancer had not spread. Then a week later, she was given good news.
She said: "I was shopping in Morrisons, and my consultant called to say they had caught all the cancer and I wouldn't need any chemotherapy. I just cried tears of relief.
"I still have to go for check-ups, but I am so, so grateful that I phoned my GP when I did. I dread to think what would have happened if I hadn't had Lorraine on in the background that morning."
Lorraine Kelly said: "Adele is so resilient, so strong - completely inspiring. I think we're all guilty of putting off seeking medical advice, for a multitude of reasons.
"We might be scared, too tired, too busy, as women we often put ourselves at the bottom of the priority list, especially if we're working, have children, are caring for elderly relatives, for example.
"But hopefully this campaign will encourage people to put their health first and recognise the signs, just in case something isn't quite right."
The 'No Butts' campaign is on Lorraine until 5th May, weekdays from 9am on ITV and ITV Hub.
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