Sarah Beeny was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2022, 40 years after her mother died of the same disease. She underwent gruelling chemotherapy, as well as a double mastectomy, before receiving the so-called "all-clear" in 2023.

Three years on, though, she admitted to herself that she will never be truly rid of the dreadful disease. The 53-year-old mum of four sons told The Times magazine: "You never get the 'all clear'. They never say, 'You have no cancer.' You just go back to being the same as everyone else, which is not knowing if you've got cancer or not." Sarah, who is taking part in The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer, which is on Sundays at 7.40pm on Channel 4 and channel4.com, added: "When I had cancer, I met a few people who had terminal cancer.

"They had felt a lump in their breast, but didn't go to the doctor because they were scared they had cancer. That is so sad. If you think you've got something wrong, go to the doctor, because many cancers now are curable.

"My mother died (of breast cancer) when I was 10. It was much too early. When you're young, the only way you can deal with things is to move on."

Despite losing her mother so young, Sarah said it made her "resilient" and gave her the life she has now.

The TV star also recalled her late father's health battle and how "difficult" it is to watch "someone you love in pain".

Recalling her dad, who suffered from dementia, having a stroke, she continued: "People react in different ways when they're fearful, but he was a little bit aggressive. The void of positive male role models has been filled with really toxic male role models. When did it become socially acceptable to idolise really toxic opinions? Young boys are prepared to say, 'Yeah, I really like this'. I don't worry about it so much with my sons, because I'm quite an opinionated mother with a lot to say.

"When my dad died, I was half-relieved for him. I got the call from my stepmother, and thought, I'll let this box open. It's probably the biggest breakdown I've had. I ended up going to hospital. I said, 'I might be having a stroke. But also, my dad has just died and I just had chemotherapy.' They said, 'You're actually fine. You just need a cup of tea.' Losing your parents is hard, but it's the natural order of things."

Stand Up To Cancer is a joint national fundraising campaign from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4 that brings the UK together to speed up progress in life-saving cancer research.

Among the other contestants alongside Sarah this year are GMB's Kate Garraway, actress Maxine Peake, Gloria Hunniford and Roman Kemp.