A 90s pop icon has shared a shocking image of her breast post cancer treatment, pleading with women to protect themselves against the “horrible disease”.
Whigfield – known for her hit song “Saturday Night” – shared an image of her breast looking reddened and raw after radiotherapy treatment.
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Whigfield first shot to fame with the char topping single “Saturday Night”, which hit number one in the UK in 1994.
She also known for dance tunes “Another Day” and “Think of You”.
The 54-year-old singer said she’d undergone treatment for breast cancer 10 years ago.
“Fighting breast cancer was a strange thing,” the Danish pop star wrote in an Instagram post.
Read more on breast cancer
Whigfield – whose real name is Sannie Carlson – recalled: “One moment I was living my best life making new music in London, the next I was stuck in a bubble of numbness.”
“Even though the operations and radiation therapies where tough, I got so much strength from seeing so many other patients including kids fighting this horrible disease, and many never left the San Raffaele hospital in Milan again.”
The singer previously shared that she lives in the outskirts of Milan.
The pop icon explained that she’d posted the throwback pic in the hopes of raising awareness around breast cancer.
“I hope this pic – taken during radiation therapy – doesn’t offend anyone but helps to get checked once in while, even though you’re feeling amazing.”
She wished her followers a “healthy and happy life”.
Most women will know to spot the signs of breast cancer through a lump in their boob.
But the disease can also cause a number of more subtle changes to the breast, like dimpled or reddened skin, as well as crusting or changes to the nipples.
It’s recommended that women check their breasts on a regular basis – the easiest way is to do this in the shower so your hand can glide over your skin easily.
Contrary to popular belief, breast cancer can also affect men too.
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Back in 2022, Whigfield shared a snap of herself in a hospital waiting room.
She wrote: “Back at the hospital for a biopsy. Hopefully all this will be over soon.”
The singer also opened up about a secret health battle, revealing that she’d lost her child when it was just three days old after it was born prematurely.
Whigfield’s candid post comes after research showed that an ingredient found in multivitamin supplements and everyday foods could be fuelling the spread of breast cancer.
Scientists said that limiting the consumption of the essential mineral could be key in controlling breast cancer.
Around 55,000 women and 400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK.
Researchers estimate new cases will rise from 2.3million in 2020 to 3million by 20240 around the world.
What are the signs of breast cancer?
Signs and symptoms
Stay alert to symptoms of breast cancer which include:
- A lump or swelling in the breast, upper chest or armpit
- A change to the skin, such as puckering or dimpling
- A change in the colour of the breast – the breast may look red or inflamed
- A nipple change, for example, it has become pulled in (inverted)
- Rash or crusting around the nipple
- Unusual liquid (discharge) from either nipple
- Changes in the size or shape of the breast
On its own, pain in your breasts is not usually a sign of breast cancer. But look out for pain in your breast or armpit that’s there all or almost all the time.
Although rare, men can get breast cancer. The most common symptom of breast cancer in men is a lump in the chest area.
Check your breasts
There’s no special way to check your breasts and you do not need any training. At Breast Cancer Now, they say, it’s as simple as TLC: Touch, Look, Check:
- Touch your breasts: can you feel anything new or unusual?
- Look for changes: does anything look different to you?
- Check any new or unusual changes with a GP
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