'Life is for living'

Back on stage in her first tour since her devastating cancer diagnosis, Samantha Womack explains how her illness has made her relish every second

It's only seven months since Samantha Womack received the all-clear after being diagnosed with breast cancer, but in that brief period of time she certainly hasn't let the grass grow under her feet.

Not only has she adopted a rescue dog, had a new tattoo and sung at Eurovision, Samantha is also back at work again, touring the country for four months in the hit musical 42nd Street.

'Life is for living isn't it,' she reflects, when asked about her busy schedule. 'It's been a massive 12 months and I'm still figuring out how it's changed my life.' 'You get the initial diagnosis and the treatment and, in your head, you think, "That's it, over." But really, that's the beginning of understanding how it's impacted you.

'You've had to deal with imminent death, and with cancer, you can never say it's gone. You can say it's gone for now, but you have that hanging over you, so that's an adjustment.

'Everything changes - how you view your life, how you want to spend your life, how you think. It certainly makes you very aware of every second that you have. I've never had that before, so that's the upside of the situation.