The Duchess of York has vowed to urge a national breast cancer screening drive as she recovers from an operation following her own life-changing diagnosis.
Sarah Ferguson, 63, is recovering at home from a single mastectomy after doctors discovered the disease in a routine mammogram.
A source close to her said she is recovering well and had pledged to use her experience to help women of 50 to 70 see the importance of getting checked regularly.
In the latest episode of her podcast Tea Talks, which was broadcast yesterday but was recorded the day before her operation last week, Fergie said she wanted “every single person that is listening...to go get checked, go get screened”.
The duchess said her experience is “a real gift to me to change my life” and that it is important to talk about it.
She was in NHS screening at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, North West London, which she was urged to attend by her sister Jane.
She had shown no symptoms, and so she was surprised when doctors identified a “shadow” and discovered she had an early form of the disease.
The grandmother, who has for decades worked with cancer charities including as a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust and speaker at a Breast Cancer Foundation gala, has told pals she will use her platform to back a national drive.
A pal said: “Undoubtedly this will be an issue the duchess takes up as she feels it is incredibly important to spread this message and awareness.”
A mammogram is a breast X-ray which looks for signs of cancer too small to see or feel. Women aged between 50 and 71 are automatically invited for breast screening every three years.
Fergie will recover at Royal Lodge in Windsor, the home she shares with ex-husband Prince Andrew.
Her spokesman said: “Her doctors have told her that the prognosis is good.”
