'THE DOCTOR TOLD ME, "YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DIE - IT'S VERY TREATABLE AND CURABLE"

We spoke to three women who've had cervical cancer about their experiences - and why some want the NHS screening age lowered

Jo is back to work at Sky Sports after her diagnosis

What scares me most about my cervical cancer diagnosis is that I had hardly any symptoms. But when doctors discovered my tumour it was already around 6cm in size.

Even more worrying was the fact I was a few months from my next scheduled smear test, and every test I'd had in the past had been clear. But at the end of May 2020, I'd started getting a few signs something wasn't quite right. I had a lot of discharge, and the GP thought it was bacterial vaginosis. They gave me some antibiotics.

Then two weeks later, I started passing blood clots when I was on the toilet. I messaged the doctor again - it was during the pandemic so appointments were virtual and they invited me to have swabs and an ultrasound, both of which came back clear.

Donna had five chemo sessions

About a week later, I started bleeding while having sex with my husband Martin, 39. The GP referred me to hospital, but at this stage no one had mentioned cancer. As a result I went to the colposcopy appointment in August 2020 by myself.

Initially, the doctor said she thought they'd find it was extra tissue that was causing the bleeding. But then, during the procedure, the mood in the room suddenly changed. "Are you by yourself?" she said. And I said, "Yes, should I be worried?" She told me there and then I had cervical cancer. She said she could see the tumour.

I was close to tears. I think my first words were, "Do I have long to live?" Afterwards, I walked home from the hospital, which was about a mile away. I was in shock. The first thing I did was message my friend who'd bee diagnosed with breast cancer four months before. "You're not the only one," I said. "I've joined the cancer club." She called me straight back and I cried and cried.