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The long-running series noted how the show had proved useful in the real world.
“I was watching the show last summer, I was breastfeeding my daughter at the time. Listening to Helen’s story just really resonated with me. I recalled her saying she was 39, she was fit and healthy, she had no history of breast cancer in her family, it sounded like my circumstances.
“I’d always checked myself. Breastfeeding, I got a bit complacent. As I was watching the show I checked myself. I found what I thought was a blocked milk duct. It didn’t hurt, so I was a bit suspicious. The doctor did a manual examination, said they thought it was something to do with breastfeeding, but to be sure let’s do an ultrasound.” – Rebecca Wood
Loose Women viewer Rebecca Wood today revealed on the ITV series how watching the show saved her life when she saw an item about at-home breast checks.
Rebecca was watching last year when producer Helen Addis spoke about pioneering ITV Lorraine’s ‘Change And Check’ campaign, which urges women to get to know their own breasts and look out for the signs of cancer.
“I was told after an agonizing wait that in fact, it was breast cancer. A very early stage, that thankfully I’d caught early. It had started to leave the milk duct and invade the rest of the breast. I had to have a full mastectomy and full reconstruction. It was an extremely aggressive, high-grade form, growing very rapidly inside of me. I was just in absolute shock. I was a low risk as far as I was concerned.”
“I was very, very healthy, it all came as a bit of a surprise. If I hadn’t been watching the show that day, I don’t know when I would have next checked my breasts. I was breastfeeding, I wasn’t doing it at that time in my life.
“Effectively, Helen, watching you, it did save my life. I hate to think what would have happened.”
Rebecca noted of her health currently that she had been given ‘an excellent prognosis’ adding she had ‘chemotherapy treatment which finished in January’ She went on to say she isn’t expecting to need any furthr treatment.
Helen’s ‘Change And Check’ stickers with guidance on doing checks were placed in multiple locations, including on changing room mirrors in big high street stores.
“I’m absolutely blown away. I just don’t think I’ll ever stop. It’s become a real passion project. Just hearing Rebecca’s story, it’s case in point. Since we launched this campaign a year ago, I’ve had 37 people say they’ve found their cancer early as a direct result and they’re all under the screening age. It’s so, so important. Especially during Covid, remember your hand sanitizer and your mask, but also your boobs!” – Helen Addis
Adapting during the pandemic, Helen explained how the message was still getting out to women via the postal service in the UK and also retailers including one that is getting a boob-job.
“One of the women that contacted me was a postal worker. So I thought, Royal Mail… starting today [26th Oct – 2nd Nov], every single piece of mail, that goes out throughout the UK carries that [‘Change And Check’ reminder]. That’s tens of millions of doorsteps that that’s going to be winging its way to
“Lots of stores have taken it on and are putting it into their online shopping orders. I was dead cheeky and said to Monsoon, ‘Can you change the double O to a pair of boobs for a month?’ and they said yes!”
Loose Women airs weekdays from 12.30pm on ITV, STV and UTV.
