Real Housewives of Cheshire star Ester Dee has revealed how she "thought [she] was going to die" in a horror cervical cancer scare.
Following years of failing to attend routine smear tests, the Czech-born mum-of-one has confessed to being furious with herself for putting off the life-saving screening for so long.
Ester, 37, has recently undergone surgery to remove pre-cancerous cells from her cervix, and has told how she had a lucky escape.
Ester, who joined the RHOCH cast in 2016 before quitting the ITVBe show last summer, told OK! : "It's been horrendous. I’ve been an idiot with my health, putting my life at risk.
“I’ve been invited for a smear test numerous times but have always ignored the letters thinking there was no family history of cancer, that nothing could happen to me and that I was invincible.
“I didn’t want the inconvenience of going to the appointment or the discomfort of the procedure itself. I hate myself for not listening to my mum who would always tell me to go and get checked and for ignoring all those letters from the GP. It’s all my own fault.”
Every woman between the ages of 25 and 64 is invited for regular NHS cervical screening.
But Ester didn’t book an appointment until she started to experience some worrying symptoms three months ago despite several prominent public health campaigns.
Ester started experiencing vaginal bleeding, a lot of watery discharge and an unpleasant odour and was shocked to discover they could all be signs of cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer kills around 850 women in the UK a year and experts say almost every death is preventable.
Smear tests take a sample of cells from the cervix and screen them for HPV, a virus that can cause cancer.
“I Googled it and immediately started panicking that I was going to die,” she says.
“I thought of my little girl and cried to my mum saying how could I have been so stupid. I just felt completely devastated. I called the doctor and they made me an emergency appointment for a smear test which I had the next day.
“Afterwards, I couldn’t believe I’d been avoiding something that was over within less than a minute. Yes, it’s a bit uncomfortable but you can take some paracetamol beforehand which helps with that. And when it could literally save your life it’s worth it.”
Ester's sample came back showing abnormalities and medics told her she needed to go to hospital for a cervical biopsy.
The biopsy thankfully came back clear but her doctors still felt the cells were concerning enough to remove them, which they did earlier this month.
“It was mildly painful and scary but I’m relieved they’ve gone,” she says. “As long as I don’t hear anything else from the hospital, I go back in six months for another smear test. They’re going to monitor me for a couple of years as I’m at a greater risk of developing cancer.
“It has been horrible, but I honestly feel like one of the lucky ones. I can’t bear to think about what might have happened if I’d carried on not getting tested.”
The reality star has shared her ordeal in the hope that it might mean other women don't miss their smears.
Last year, smear testing rates dropped to their lowest ever level with just 70% of eligible women going for their check-up.
Speaking directly to anyone who might be putting off their smear, Ester pleaded with them to make an appointment.
“Please, please don’t ignore your letter," she told the publication. "Don’t be an idiot like me. We are all human and cancer can happen to anyone. If reading the story of this crazy woman from the Czech Republic helps even one person, then I’ll be happy.
“No one knows for sure what’s going on inside of them and these sorts of cancers can be caught before they’ve had a chance to develop. I want everyone to be in this world for as long as possible so please, just go.”
Ester's cancer scare has given her a huge wake up call to overhaul her lifestyle too.
“It puts everything in perspective. I felt so helpless, so I want to change the things I can control. I eat too much red meat which I’m now cutting back on.
"There will be no more chocolate or doughnuts and I’m reducing my alcohol intake and trying to lower my stress levels.”
