Elizabeth Hurley urged women to examine their breasts as she described her battle with breast cancer during an appearance on Thursday’s Loose Women.
Attending the day of the TV panel for an episode on breast cancer awareness, which began Oct. 1, the actress pledged, “I won’t give up until women stop dying.”
The 57-year-old has been an ambassador for Estee Lauder’s breast cancer campaign for 27 years – and joined the company after losing her own grandmother to the disease.
‘I won’t give up until women stop dying’: Elizabeth Hurley, 57, described her fight to stop breast cancer in loose women on Thursday as she urged women to screen themselves for the disease
And speaking to Kaye Adams, Brenda Edwards, Carol McGiffin and Nadia Sawalha, Elizabeth explained why she has such a strong affinity with the brand.
She was approached in 1995 by Estee Lauder’s daughter-in-law, Evelyn, who asked her to help with the campaign as a global ambassador.
And the actress recalled her own experience of losing her grandmother to breast cancer, explaining that at the time she “didn’t know what was going on.”
She explained: “At the time I had just lost my grandmother to breast cancer and nobody was talking about it at the time. There was no pink ribbon or awareness month. My grandmother didn’t go to the doctor because she was scared and embarrassed, so it was pretty advanced.
Awareness: She appeared on the daytime TV show for an episode dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which began on October 1st
Talking about it: She joined panel Kaye Adams, Brenda Edwards, Carol McGiffin and Nadia Sawalha for the show
Longtime: The actress has been an ambassador for Estée Lauder’s breast cancer campaign for 27 years
“And even then nobody talked about it, we didn’t talk to doctors, there were no support groups, we didn’t know what was going on. She didn’t make it, and Evelyn Lauder wanted to change that when she launched the campaign.
“It’s different now, it’s still a life-threatening disease for many women, but times have changed, we’re talking about it now.”
Panelist Kaye added, “They didn’t even say the word cancer back then!”
‘No, they whispered it. That was a dirty word,’ agreed Elizabeth.
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, Elizabeth also wore a light pink shirt for the appearance.
Tough: Recalling her own experience of losing her grandmother to breast cancer, the actress explained that she “didn’t know what was going on” at the time.
Big change: “It’s different now, it’s still a life-threatening disease for a lot of women, but times have changed, we’re talking about it now,” she said
Campaign: In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, Elizabeth also wore a bright pink t-shirt for the appearance
The beauty urged women to examine their breasts themselves and explained how beneficial it can be as she recalled helping two of her friends discover they had cancer through self-examination.
Elizabeth shared: “During the pandemic, through our breast cancer campaign, I made an Instagram post explaining to people the importance of self-control. And two friends of mine had seen my post and they were in their 40’s so they checked themselves and found both lumps and they were cancer – but they were fine because they caught it early.
The actress added that “early detection saves lives,” adding that she even got a mammogram for her 40th birthday and has regular check-ups.
“I will not give up [with the campaign] until we’re out of business – which will be when women stop dying,” she concluded.
And as part of the special, Loose Women welcomed the clinical nurse to the show as she examined her breasts live on air – as she explained how to properly examine breasts.
The Macmillan Support Line provides free, confidential support to cancer patients and their families. Call 0808 808 00 00 for assistance
Get checked out: The beauty urged women to check their breasts themselves and explained how beneficial it can be as she recalled how she helped two of her friends realize they had cancer through self-checking
Saving lives: The actress added that “early detection saves lives,” adding that she even got a mammogram for her 40th birthday and is regularly checked