Coronation Street and Strictly star Ellie Leach shares powerful health message after smear test
"Please, please, please go for your smear test because they genuinely could save your life."
Coronation Street and Strictly Come Dancing winner Ellie Leach has shared a powerful health message, encouraging followers to go for their smear tests. The star shared that she recently went for the test, now known as a cervical screening, where they subsequently found pre-cancerous cells.
The tests are used to monitor the health of the cervix and prevent cervical cancer, and are offered to all women between the ages of 25 to 64 every five years, while everyone with a cervix should be offered one, according to the NHS.
Ellie shared in a new Instagram video that she recently went for smear test and waited five weeks for results, which revealed that she was HPV positive. Noting that it was “really common”, tests further revealed she had “severe high-grade changes”, meaning she would have to have a colposcopy, which takes a closer look at the cervix.
In a follow-up clip, she shared that her colposcopy results showed that she would have to undergo a LLETZ, or large loop excision of the transformation zone.
“It’s like a heated wire and they burn off the cells that are pre-cancerous in your cervix,” she explained to fans. “So yeah, that sounds really uncomfortable, so I’m not looking forward to it, however I do need to have it done because if I did leave it, they would potentially turn into cancer in a few years.”
In a subsequent update after the procedure, Ellie said it went “fine” but was “really uncomfortable” when she had anaesthetic administered.
“Obviously, they use the anaesthetic because it’s using a hot wire so I couldn’t feel that, but it was uncomfortable when they put the anaesthetic in,” she said. “I just, all of a sudden, got really overwhelmed and started crying. I don’t know why, I just felt really emotional.
“I think because it’s been going on for ages now and I’ve been really uncertain about what’s going on and then to finally have them removed just felt like a bit of a relief. I just burst into tears and the nurse was like ‘You’re doing amazing, don’t worry’, they were all so lovely.”
Three weeks later, she shared: “I’ve had my results through and they were just to confirm that [the cells] were exactly what they thought they were, so yeah I finally got my results.
“I’m feeling so much better, I know they’ve been removed so that’s great but waiting for my results I was still a bit apprehensive about what was gonna happen. All fine, and now I just have to go for another smear in six months’ time.”
Ellie told followers that it was “so, so, so important to go for your smear test”, adding: “I know sometimes they can be uncomfortable. I was absolutely fine during mine but I am aware that everyone is different, I know that it affects people differently.
“But please, please, please, please go for your smear test because they genuinely could save your life. If I’d never have gone for my initial smear test, I’d never have known about the pre-cancerous cells and now they’ve been removed, I feel so much better about it. Go for your smear test, it’s very important!”.
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