Sarah Ferguson made a heartbreaking confession about her cancer fears on Thursday, during a special appearance on Loose Women.
The Duchess of York admitted to having "four in the morning syndrome," which causes her to wake up very early and worry about her cancer returning.
The 64-year-old duchess had a single mastectomy and breast reconstruction during the summer.
She had just learned that she had breast cancer after a routine mammography test.
Sarah Ferguson appeared on Loose Women
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Although her treatment was successful, she expressed concern that the cancer would come back.
Sarah said: “It’s four in the morning syndrome - that moment when you suddenly wake up and go, ‘Oh, I’m sure I’ve got cancer somewhere else, I’m going to ring my doctor.’ I’m getting over that."
She appeared on Loose Women to support its Don’t Skip Your Screening campaign.
During the show, Fergie admitted she had been tempted to not attend her appointment.
Sarah Ferguson revealed she nearly missed her screening
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She added: “I thought, ‘No, it’s a hot day, I don’t need to go'. I had no symptoms. It was completely fine.
"And my sister from Australia - she tends to be fairly bossy, and thank goodness for her bossiness, because she said, ‘No, no, you’ve got to go.’
"And I went, and of course, I caught it early, just in time. I really want to shout about this: don’t skip your screening appointment, because I would not be sitting here if I hadn’t gone.”
The duchess said she regarded her mastectomy scar as a “badge of office”.
Sarah Ferguson and her late father, Ronald
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Fergie joked that she had nicknamed her newly reconstructed left breast "Derek", while her right breast is "Eric".
She commented: “Derek is very perky and fabulous, and Eric is sort of down, he’s not as perky.”
Sarah recalled that her late father, Major Ronald Ferguson, was criticised for talking about prostate cancer.
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She said: “My dad used to go on the radio and say, ‘Get checked for prostate cancer,’ and his friends used to ring and say, ‘Ronald, no one wants to hear from you about that'.
“I simply don’t care if anyone likes it or not.
"If there’s one person who’s going to have a fabulous life and see their grandchildren because of us speaking about it, then go for it.”
