‘My Breast Cancer Diagnosis Was A Challenge We Faced Together'

From a shared love of Prosecco to navigating illness, Victoria Derbyshire tells Christina Quaine why her best friend Cathy is so special to her

- Christina Quaine

VICTORIA SAYS…

Broadcaster Victoria Derbyshire, 50, lives with her partner Mark Sandell, and their sons, Oliver, 14, and Joe, 11.

Cathy and I first met 10 years ago when she came bounding over to talk to me in the school playground. Our eldest sons had just started preschool and we were waiting to pick them up. I was feeling low as my stepdad had recently died unexpectedly, and Cathy came over and introduced herself. She was very smiley and instantly lifted my spirits.

Our friendship developed over the next few months as our families grew closer. My son, Oliver, and her son, Alfie, ended up becoming best friends – they both support the same sports teams and started going to games together with Mark and Cathy’s husband, Paul. One day, when Paul came over to pick up Mark and Oliver, I said, “You and Cathy must come for dinner one evening,” and the friendship grew from there.

I knew Cathy was my kind of woman when she arrived at my house for dinner with the biggest bag of alcohol I’d ever seen! She brought a bottle of vodka, two bottles of Prosecco and loads of beer. I thought, “She’s a party animal, I love her!” We ended up sitting around eating and drinking until 3am. We live three kilometres away from each other, and our friendship has continued along a similar theme ever since – nights spent at each other’s houses having kitchen discos until the early hours.