Carol McGiffin felt "butchered" after her mastectomy.
The former ‘Loose Women’ panellist revealed at the weekend she has been undergoing treatment for breast cancer after discovering a lump last spring, and she has admitted an operation to remove the tumour has left her with a scar which looks like a shark bite.
She said: "When the dressings finally came off I looked down and couldn’t take it in. The scar was really neat but seemed to go on forever, all the way to my armpit. It looked like I’d been bitten by a shark and felt like I’d been butchered."
As well as the mastectomy, the 54-year-old broadcaster had to undergo several bouts of chemotherapy and radiotherapy along with treatment drugs which caused her self-esteem to plummet as her blonde locks fell out.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror newspaper, she confessed: "I did feel ugly and butch but there was nothing I could do. Cancer took away my self-esteem and for the first time in my whole adult life I didn’t feel sexy. This was largely down to the way I looked. The change was so drastic, I didn’t feel like it was me anymore."
However, after going public with her battle with the illness, positive comments from fellow sufferers have helped to boost her self-esteem once more.
She said: "From the minute the story went out online there was an explosion of good wishes on Twitter and Facebook and almost every friend I have either texted or emailed. I couldn’t keep up.
"I can’t thank people enough for being so kind and understanding, and funny! The comments about my hair were more encouraging and have boosted my confidence no end. Hearing from fellow breast cancer sufferers was particularly heartwarming. Some brought a tear to my eye. So thank you everyone and onwards and upwards."
Carol McGiffin felt ‘butchered’ after mastectomy
