Former 'Dragon' Kelly Hoppen has revealed her breast cancer diagnosis after eight years of avoiding mammograms. The 63-year-old, who starred in BBC show Dragons’ Den, has said she was compelled to share her story after only learning last month she was "out of the woods".
Writing in the Daily Mail, Kelly said she could not believe her “own stupidity” after ignoring routine mammogram invitations for eight years. "It was a foolish thing to do, which is why I am writing this now: it’s a cautionary tale, a warning to others, not to be too frightened, too harried by the demands of work to go to your appointments," she said, revealing her mother had a breast cancer scare when she was relatively young.
The interior designer went on to credit her executive assistant and personal assistant with ensuring she finally followed through with an appointment in September. The results eventually found Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) – meaning some cells in the lining of the ducts of the breast tissue had started to turn into cancer cells but had not yet started to spread into the surrounding breast tissue.
