This Morning star Deirdre Sanders reveals her breast cancer has returned in heartbreaking admission

Deirdre Sanders has revealed on This Morning that her breast cancer has returned.

The beloved agony aunty announced last September that she had been secretly battling breast cancer. At the time, she spoke to hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby about her cancer diagnosis.

At the time, she told them: "I think people panic at the word cancer often, and they can be scared of even going to a doctor with their initial worry because they're terrified of getting a diagnosis, even though getting the diagnosis is what leads to treatment. We can be so scared about that word so I am really happy to bring it out into the open.

"I have to say the breast clinic I have been attending are so kind and caring, they have been so lovely. That is very reassuring."

Today, Deirdre appeared on This Morning again and confirmed her breast cancer returned. She said: "Unfortunately, I've got to have a lumpectomy followed by radiotherapy. I feel lucky, it's been caught early and the treatment is happening very rapidly.

"This is all on the NHS so I think I am so lucky. It could be so much worse. To be honest, the symptoms I had the first time were a coincidence and not actually a symptom of the cancer as it turns out. An efficient GP put me on the cancer pathway and I got a very rapid check and treatment. I've felt well, I haven't felt tired or run down. I couldn't feel anything, it's very tiny so there's nothing to feel. It's purely down to the mammogram which showed it up. I had an ultrasound and a biopsy and it revealed it was cancer."

Deirdre admitted she was "shocked" by the diagnosis as she felt fine and is now urging women to request their mammograms. Currently, the NHS stops offering women mammograms over the age of 70, but they can be requested on the NHS.

"I was shocked. I felt fine. I was so taken aback, I wasn't expecting it at all", she said, before urging other women: "My big point about this is that on the NHS system, I'm not criticising it, the call for mammograms stop when you are 70.

"I happened to be in a cohort of women who got missed and we didn't get called. I hadn't had a mammogram since I was 67, so ten years had gone by. I didn't give it a thought. I didn't know anything about it. But what I do now know is that when you're over 70, you can request a mammogram on the NHS and you should get one every year. Please, if you're a woman over 70, request your mammogram. The reason I've had an easy time this time and last time is because it was caught so early."

This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and ITVX