It feels really important to raise awareness - I've loved every minute

Please tell us about yourself

My name is Claire. I am 52 years old and I was diagnosed with stage 2 carcinoma in May 2024. A very scary time.

I was in Mexico celebrating my 50th birthday with my husband and my daughter when I found a lump on my left breast. I kept that to myself and carried on having an amazing holiday.

I immediately got it checked out when we got back. It was cancer. So, that's when my scary journey started.

There’s never a good time to get cancer but it was a particularly difficult time for me. My daughter was just finishing off at primary school and I didn't want to tarnish her experience. I asked the hospital if they would put my mastectomy date back so she could celebrate her prom.

I think that was the hardest part for me. All of those months putting on a brave face, saying “I’m fine, I’m fine, everything great” with everyone around me worrying. But that August, I finally had my mastectomy and lumpectomy operation and it was successful.

How did you find the Moving Forward course?

The radio silence after the operation was really difficult. Everybody went on with their lives while I was at home recovering. That was the point where I first reached out to Breast Cancer Now and put myself on the Moving Forward course.

At first, I thought I'd maybe signed up a little bit too early. I'd had my mastectomy in August and signed up in October. I sat in the first session and listened to all the other ladies around the room saying, “I had my breast cancer 2 years ago.” As it got closer to my turn to share, I was getting more nervous.

In the end, I just sat there and cried. But, bit by bit, I realised that I was with ladies who understood what I'd just been through. I came back the next week and did the second part of the course.

It was fantastic for me. I had a safe place where I could just talk about everything: my feelings, my worries. People that would understand exactly how I was feeling. I met such lovely women. We're still in contact now and we sometimes go out to dinner together.

I feel like I'm really coming out the other side now. I'm a lot more mentally stable, and I'm feeling stronger.

It’s still hard sometimes. I had my first mammogram last August, which was quite nerve-wracking. I had to wait 8 weeks for the results. I was eventually told I was okay and I could get back to normal again, but it had been really frustrating and had brought all the anxiety back again. Overall, though, I'm moving forward.

Why did you want to get involved with filming our latest advertising campaign?

I absolutely loved taking part in the Moving Forward course and got so much out of it. I jumped at the chance to give something back.

It feels really important to be raising awareness like this. I’ve met so many lovely women who’ve had similar experiences to me. We've had such a laugh together. It's also been fantastic to see how a TV advert is made behind the scenes. I've loved every minute of it.

What advice would you give someone who has just been diagnosed?

Don’t be hard on yourself. It’s going to be a rollercoaster. It has taken me a year to physically and mentally get through it all.

I definitely found the recovery the hardest part. So, take your time, dig deep and you will find strength.

When you are ready, reach out to support groups and charities as they will really help. Being able to meet, chat and even cry to ladies in a similar situation who really get it helped me hugely!

Do you have anything else that you'd like to share?

Just a final thank you to Breast Cancer Now. It’s such an amazing charity and there's so many things that they can help you with. I feel really, really grateful because I would have felt lost if Breast Cancer Now wasn't available to us.