So Now I’ve Got Breast Cancer
Everything you want to know about your breast cancer diagnosis but are too afraid to ask. If you’ve just been diagnosed, this is the show for you. Hosted by Dr Liz O’Riordan, the Breast Surgeon with Breast Cancer.
Episodes
Cancer as a Young Mum: Rebecca Charlton Shares Her Story
Rebecca Charlton is the voice of cycling on Channel 5, as well as a cycling journalist and author, and in the summer of 2025, she was diagnosed with breast cancer while she was breast-feeding her second child. She’s had to navigate presenting on TV whilst dealing with the aftermath of treatment and coming to terms with her delayed diagnosis, and I can’t wait for you to hear her story.
Show Note
Looking After Your Scars with Joana Pedroso
Did you know that after breast surgery your scars can become stuck and painful? This is where a good scar therapist can come in, and I wish I’d known this sooner after my mastectomy. Joana Pedroso is a trained cancer scar therapist who wants everyone to be able to move freely again and she explained why scars get stuck and what we can do about it.
Listener note - if you can watch his episode on
Let’s Talk About Sex with Zoe Yessian
It’s the elephant in the room that no-one talks about when you have cancer - the fact that your sex life can also take a nose dive. But there is support out there, and this episode I’m speaking to Instagram’s @cancersextherapist - aka Zoe Yessian - a registered Mental Health nurse and psychosexual and relationship therapist, who was diagnosed with breast cancer herself two years ago aged just 35.
Why Poetry Can be Therapy with Dearbhaile O’Hare
I hope this episode bring you as much joy as it did to me to record it - self-proclaimed cancer kicker, poetry prattler, sales director, photo-grapher, animal lover and nature bather (and possibly the world’s wonkiest qualified personal trainer) Dearbhaile O’Hale aka Derv turned to writing when she was diagnosed with breast cancer to help her process the experience. She was generous enough to shar
Who Should You Trust: Understanding Cancer Misinformation with Dr Richard Simcock
How do you know what to trust online and even - dare I say it - in podcasts, when it comes to breast cancer? There is so much information out there nowadays including people claiming to have “cures” and alternatives to traditional treatments. That’s why I needed to get Consultant Oncologist and Chief Medical Officer for Macmillan, Richard Simcock, onto this episode to help us sift through fact and
Managing the Menopause and Cancer with Dani Binnington
CEO and Founder of Menopause and Cancer, Dani Binnington, talks to me about her own experience of the menopause with breast cancer, what menopause can look like when you are a BC patient and ways to cope.
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Menopause and Cancer is a global support network to help every woman living with cancer manage their menopause symptoms.
For free, practical and accessible support you can visit
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How to Cope with Scanxiety with Dr Lauren Heathcote
Health psychology expert Dr Lauren Heathcote talks to Liz about the impact of breast cancer in our mental health and how to manage the dreaded scanxiety.
Find out more about Lauren and her team’s research here - https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/lauren-heathcote
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/entrust
Their paper on Scanxiety and ‘bracing for bad news' - is here: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/202
How to Look After Your Skin with Fiona McCarthy
Oncologist and skin care expert Dr Fiona McCarthy talks to Liz about the importance of skincare during treatment, why it’s ok to look after yourself, and what actually works.
It’s important to be gentle to your skin during chemotherapy. Use non-perfumed products and avoid soap. You don’t have to spend a lot of money and you don’t need cancer-specific products. If you did want to spend a bit more
Can Going Flat Give You Freedom? With Louise Butcher
To mark the return of So Now I’ve Got Breast Cancer, topless marathon runner Louise Butcher discusses her decision to go flat and how she’s come to terms with her new body.
Louise admits to being an anxious hypochondriac, but when she was diagnosed with lobular cancer in 2022, she had to confront the disease she’d always feared. She had both breasts removed, and running kept her sane as she dealt
How to deal with the fear of recurrence with Susanne Cruickshank
How do you cope with the fear of recurrence? What do you do when scanxiety hits? Can you make your family understand what you’re going through? This episode is all about how to cope with anxiety with Dr Suzanne Cruickshank, a breast cancer nurse who now leads research at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London about how to help people cope with the fear of recurrence.
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Susanne spoke about
How does an oncologist treat breast cancer? With Dr Eleonora Teplinsky
Breast cancer can be really scary, especially when your oncologist rattles off a list of treatments and side effects. I can’t think of anyone better to help me explain what they are and why you have them than Dr Eleonora Teplinsky. She’s the Head of Breast and Gynecologic Medical Oncology at Valley Health System and Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sina
How to find your style after breast cancer with Alyson Walsh
How do you style your new body shape after breast cancer ? Where do you get the confidence to try something new? What do you do when your grey chemo curls mean that the colours in your wardrobe don’t suit you anymore? This episode is all about how to find your style again with Alyson Walsh, journalist, author and founder of ‘That’s Not My Age’
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You can find Alyson’s site That's Not My A
How to get a good night’s sleep with Alison Gardiner
Do you struggle to get a good nights’ sleep? Is the fear of recurrence keeping you awake? Can you ever get rid of insomnia? On this episode I'll be finding out how we can improve our sleep with Alison Gardiner - behavioural psychologist and CEO and Founder of Sleepstation, the UK’s leading online sleep support programme for insomnia. There’s also a discount code below so you can try it for free.
Why you should tell your employer you have breast cancer with Barbara Wilson
Do you know what your legal rights are when returning to work after cancer? What should your employer do to help you get back to work? Do you have to say you’ve got cancer in a job interview? This episode is all about getting back to work with Barbara Wilson, the founder of the social enterprise Working with Cancer.
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You can find Working with Cancer on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com
Can changing your diet stop your cancer coming back? With Dr Krystle Zuniga
Can changing your diet stop your cancer coming back? What does a healthy plate of food look like? Are probiotics worth the hype? This episode is all about what to eat after breast cancer treatment with Associate Professor Dr Krystle Zuniga. She’s a board certified oncology dietician with a PhD in nutritional sciences and a clinical cancer exercise specialist, and she puts out incredible posts on i
What to do when your hair starts thinning with Jasmin Julia Gupta (Cancer Hair Care)
Is your hair starting to fall out? Do you want to know what shampoo you should be using? Is there anything you can do to stop it happening? This episode is all about hair thinning during breast cancer treatment with Jasmin Julia Gupta, founder of Cancer Hair Care. We had a great response to Jasmin’s episode in Season Two talking all about hair loss during chemo. I ran out of time to ask her all yo
How to find resilience after breast cancer with Donna Fraser OBE
How do you keep going when your world falls apart? Can you make a difference and turn a bad thing into a good thing? Is it possible to get your fitness back when treatment ends? To kick off Season 3 of So Now I’ve Got Breast Cancer, I’m speaking to a very special guest, the Olympian Donna Fraser OBE. She’s a quadruple Olympian sprinter who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 while she was s
Sex, dating and intimacy after breast cancer with Charlene Douglas
I know what it’s like to have your sex life turned upside down by breast cancer treatment. I’d only been married for a couple of years and neither my husband Dermot or I were prepared for what was about to happen. I wanted him to divorce me and find a woman with 2 healthy breasts and a libido to match.And I know I’m not alone.
You’ve sent me so many questions about this that have made my heart bre
What to eat when you have breast cancer with Dr Clare Shaw
Is it true that sugar feeds cancer? Do you really need to detox? What should you eat when you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer? As a breast surgeon I had no idea my patients were scouring the internet looking for a miracle diet, but the minute I became a patient I realised how much misinformation is out there regarding what we should eat. On this episode I’m going to set the record straight wi
Everything you need to know about Radiotherapy with the RadChat team
Have you found out that you need to have radiotherapy? Do you want to know how it works or why you need it in the first place? Maybe you're worried about the side effects? In this episode I’m going to answer all your questions about radiotherapy with this weeks’ experts, Jo and Naman, the two therapeutic radiographers behind the award-winning podcast RadChat.
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You can find out all about
How to tell your kids you have breast cancer with Caroline Leek
One of the questions I dreaded getting asked when I worked as a breast surgeon was ‘How do I tell my children?’ I don’t have children of my own, and I had no idea what to say. My breast care nurses would step in and I would breathe a sigh of relief. Judging from all your questions this week, telling your children you have cancer can be fraught with anxiety, worry, guilt and stress. And that’s the
How to deal with your hair falling out with Jasmin Julia Gupta
One of the first questions my patients asked when I told them they needed chemo was ‘Am I going to lose my hair?’. And when your hair does fall out, there are even more questions. Why does it come back grey and curly? How do I explain to my children that I’m bald? Where can you find a decent wig? On this episode I’m going to answer all your questions about hair loss with this week’s guest, Jasmin
Everything you need to know to prepare for chemo with Rachel Clifton
Just hearing the words ‘you need chemotherapy’ can turn your world upside down. I hated telling my patients they needed it, and when I found I out I would have it myself, I felt lost.Would my hair fall out? How bad would it be? Would it work? How would I cope? Add to that the other drugs we give patients - targeted therapies and immunotherapy - it can feel like treatment never ends. That’s when yo
Breast surgery explained with Anushka Chaudhry
Are you struggling to decide what breast surgery to choose? Do you want to know if it’s worth having both breasts removed? How do you work out whether to have a breast reconstruction? There are so many things to consider when it comes to breast surgery, and in this episode I’m going to answer all your questions with this week’s guest, Anushka Chaudhry. She’s a Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon
Special Guest: Strictly’s Amy Dowden
I'm really excited to tell you that we're starting season 2 with a bit of sparkle. Amy Dowden is one of the highest ranked ballroom and Latin American dancers in the county, and star of Saturday Night blockbuster TV show Strictly Come Dancing. And like many of you, I was so angry and sad when she told us that she had breast cancer in May last year at the age of 32. She’s bravely shared each ste
Coming soon… a new season of So Now I’ve Got Breast Cancer
I’m excited to announce that So Now I’ve Got Breast Cancer is back! Season two is coming soon, packed full of useful - and reliable - information for anyone who’s just been diagnosed, from how to tell your kids, to how chemo works, and what to eat… all powered by YOUR questions. Here’s a little flavour of season one, and details below of how you can get in touch.
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If you’ve got a ques
BONUS EPISODE: How to get your sex life back after breast cancer with Sam Evans
To mark the end of the month I’m releasing another bonus episode! This is a conversation I had in my previous podcast Don’t Ignore the Elephant which was hugely popular and I think could help you too. It’s all about sex, and I’m in conversation with sex expert Sam Evans - aka Sam Talks Sex.
After Annice’s episode on the menopause, I had so many questions about sex and intimacy, and a lot of y
BONUS EPISODE: Talking openly about death with Kathryn Mannix
Happy New Year everyone! While I prep season two I’m sharing a couple of bonus episodes with you. They’re conversations from my last podcast, Don’t Ignore the Elephant. I covered the things that no-one else talks about, and it touched a lot of people at the time. They’re subjects I’m really passionate about as a breast cancer patient myself, so that’s why I’m re-releasing them now as part of ‘So
How to live life to the fullest (and face your fear of death) with Kris Hallenga
Getting a diagnosis of breast cancer can be terrifying. One of the first thoughts that ran through my mind 8 years ago when I found a lump was ‘Am I going to die?’ It’s often the first question my patients asked me when I told them they needed chemo. You could say it’s a ridiculous question to ask, as we are all going to die at some point, but the fear of dying from breast cancer is real. This wee
Everything you need to know about Lymphoedema with Dr Melanie Thomas
Are you scared that you’ll get lymphoedema? Has anyone actually told you what it is? Do you wonder if there’s anything you can do to prevent it ? I’ve had so many questions about this - and it’s something that has worried me ever since I was diagnosed all those years ago. On this episode, I’m going to put your mind at ease and tell you everything you need to know with this week’s guest Dr Melanie
Navigating breast cancer as a woman of colour with Leanne Pero MBE
Do you ever wonder if every breast cancer patient is treated the same? I thought they were until I listened to this week’s guest talking about her experiences during treatment. Several of you shared your own stories with me saying that cancer isn’t talked about in your community. You’re also wondering why you don’t see yourself represented in breast cancer spaces. On this episode, I’m speaking a
Why you should keep exercising through breast cancer with Dr Kathryn Schmitz
Did you know that exercise should be the first treatment you get for breast cancer? Maybe you’re motivated to finally get fit but you don’t know where to start? Or has someone told you that exercise can stop your cancer coming back but you don’t believe it’s true? On this episode I’m answering all your questions about breast cancer and exercise with this week’s guest, Dr Kathryn Schmitz from the U
How to deal with the menopausal side effects of breast cancer treatment with Professor Annice Mukherjee
Are you struggling to cope with the menopausal side effects of breast cancer treatment? Do you lie awake at night tossing and turning as the sweat pours off your body? Maybe you wish there was something you could take when HRT is off the table? On this episode I’m going to answer all your questions about breast cancer treatment and the menopause with this week’s guest, Professor Annice Mukherjee.
How to cope psychologically with a breast cancer diagnosis with Professor Dame Lesley Fallowfield
Being diagnosed with breast cancer floored me mentally. I could handle the side effects of chemo by swallowing tablet after tablet, but I couldn’t stop the thoughts running through my head. Like many of you, I would lie awake until the small hours of the morning thinking things like ‘Am I going to die?’, ‘IIs it going to come back?’ ‘How am I going to get through this?’ On this episode I’m going
Everything you need to know about breast health after breast cancer with Dr Philippa Kaye
How do you find a bra that fits after a mastectomy? Has your relationship with your breasts changed and you’re struggling to accept your new shape? Or maybe you don’t know how to check your breasts now that everything’s changed? This episode is all about breast health after breast cancer and I’m joined by the incredible Dr Philippa Kaye to answer your questions. She’s a well-known GP, a regular o
Welcome to So Now I’ve Got Breast Cancer
I’m kicking off this new season - and new podcast - with a special show. I’ll explain what to expect from So Now I’ve Got Breast Cancer, answer some of your questions and introduce you to our new podcast poet, the incredible Donna Ashworth.
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If you want to find out more about the signs and symptoms of secondary breast cancer, here are some great resources:
abcdiagnosis.co.uk
Future Dre
Breaking News - Don’t Ignore The Elephant has had a makeover
I’ve got a very special announcement for you… the podcast is changing! It’s time to say goodbye to Don’t Ignore the Elephant, and hello to my new podcast - So Now I’ve Got Breast Cancer. I’m going to be focusing on all the issues that people you like face, when you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer. You could say I’m an expert in breast cancer. After all, I was a consultant breast surgeon bef
Don't Ignore the Elephant | Natalie Woodward: Bowel Cancer, Survival and Hope
This week’s guest is Natalie Woodward, a truly remarkable young woman. She was diagnosed with metastatic bowel cancer at the age of 36, but after a full year of treatment, the cancer started to grow. In the middle of the pandemic, she literally had the mother of all operations to remove it. She had to learn to walk again. To dance again. To accept she would never have sex again. And yet there is s
Don't Ignore the Elephant | Eleanor Mills: The Rise of the Queenager
This week’s guest is Eleanor Mills, award-winning journalist, editor and broadcaster who founded of Noon, an online community to bring together women celebrating the opportunities of midlife. She describes it as a time for transformation and reinvention as a Queenager, and I want to be one.
Many of us reach a mid-life clusterf*ck when everything can seem to crumble around us – divorce, bereavem
Don't Ignore the Elephant | Alex Hewitt: Masculinity and Mental Health
This week’s guest is Alex Hewitt, founder of AOK events, and he’s come on to talk about how he coped with severe anxiety when his world was crumbling around him. He wants to set a good example for his sons by opening up about his own mental health problems and encourage others to do the same.
I’ve often wondered if men find it harder than women to talk about depression, anxiety and other mental h
Don't Ignore the Elephant | Maggie Hope: Therapy, Counselling and Self-Care
This week’s guest is Maggie Hope. She’s a Psychotherapist and Counsellor and she’s come on to talk to me all about therapy. What is it? How do you know if you need it? What to expect when you have it?
I’ve needed therapy at several times of my life, and I was ashamed to tell people about it. We talk about the importance of removing the stigma from therapy, and how to talk to our friends and fami
Don't Ignore the Elephant | Felicity Cornelius-Mercer: Social Media – a blessing or a curse?
This week’s guest is Felicity Cornelius-Mercer. She’s become the female James Blunt of Twitter by defending attacks on her husband Johnny Mercer, MP with humour and wit.
We talk about the realities of living life in the public eye and what it’s like to work with your husband and still make a marriage work, and a little bit about male grooming. We also chat about how hard it is to be a politici
Don't Ignore the Elephant | Jaz Ampaw-Farr: How to become a Resilience Ninja
This week’s guest is the inspirational Jaz Ampaw-Farr, an award-winning motivational speaker who shifts mindsets and leaves her audience on a high. She’s known in the US as the ‘British Oprah’ who’s gone from broken to Beyonce (if you squint a bit).
She had an awful childhood, subjected to poverty and horrific abuse at a very young age, but a handful of teachers helped her change her trajectory.
Don't Ignore the Elephant | Debbie Bliss: Crafting, cancer and looking cool
My second guest is the wonderful Debbie Bliss MBE. She’s the most published knitwear designer in the world. She revolutionised the pattern industry and makes knitting cool. But she also looks cool as well. Debbie has had thymus and breast cancer and has accepted her new figure after a mastectomy. She’s a savvy business woman in her seventies and there’s no sign of her stopping any time soon.
As w
Don't Ignore the Elephant | Isobel Ball: The Legacy Listen
The first episode of season two it a little bit different. It’s a legacy listen with my mum, Isobel. She was diagnosed with metastatic bone cancer three months before we recorded the interview. I wanted to chat to mum and find out what it was like for her when I got breast cancer, before talking about her own experiences as an amputee.
Sadly Mum died less than three months later from a pneumonia
Don't Ignore the Elephant | Jane Garvey: Divorce is not a dirty word
How do we talk more openly about divorce? In the final episode of season one, veteran broadcaster Jane Garvey talks to me about her own experience of splitting up in the spotlight, why you should get on with your ex for the sake of your children, and how to kickstart your career when you reach ‘middle age’, whatever that might be.
Jane almost needs no introduction. After launching Radio 5 Live s
Don't Ignore the Elephant | Davinia Tomlinson: How to manage your money
Do you ever talk openly and honestly about money? Do you feel guilty or ashamed over how much you spend? Do you know how much is in your bank account at any given time? Does your partner know about your debts? Do your children know how to save for the future?
Davinia Tomlinson is founder of RainChq, an organisation promoting financial inclusion to women. She talked to me about when we should spe
Don't Ignore the Elephant | Clara Swedlund: What is the perfect body?
Clara Swedlund is a physique coach and sports psychologist who overcame bulimia and binge-eating in her teens and early twenties. She competes in bikini bodybuilding competitions and helps clients like me train to get strong and fit for life. She’s only too aware of the impact of social media when it comes to defining what a perfect body looks like, and how important it is to be kind to yourself.
Don't Ignore the Elephant | Orla Chennaoui: Postnatal Depression and Anxiety
Orla Chennaoui began her career as a news journalist but moved over to sports for the London 2012 Olympics. In 2019 she joined Eurosport as the lead presenter for cycling events, in a very male-dominated field. She was diagnosed with post-natal depression after the birth of her first child, and lives with anxiety on a daily basis. Orla spoke to me about how she’s learnt to reframe anxiety into som
Don't Ignore the Elephant | Kathryn Mannix: What happens when we die?
Kathryn Mannix is one of the UK’s leading palliative care specialists who carefully and tenderly encourages us to talk and learn more about the ultimate elephant in the room - death.
Kathryn’s written two brilliant books on the subject - With the End in Mind
And her latest book - Listen
Kathryn is also a patron of End of Life Doula UK, an invaluable resource if you’re looking after someone who
Don't Ignore the Elephant | Dr Will Flanary: Cancer, Cardiac Arrest & Comedy
Have you ever wondered what it’s like when a doctor becomes a patient? I thought I was unlucky when I got breast cancer but then I spoke to my next guest, the American ophthalmologist Dr Will Flanary. He had testicular cancer twice - first a med student and then as a junior doctor. But that’s not all. In 2020 Will had a cardiac arrest and his amazing wife did CPR for ten minutes to bring him back
Don't Ignore the Elephant | Samantha Evans: How to get sex and intimacy back in your life
For anyone with an interest in sex, intimacy and love - this show is for you.
Sex after illness, cancer, the menopause, bereavement and when you’re older. Sex expert and retired nurse Sam Evans founder of Jo Divine and who’s personally helped me - joins me to talk about sex, more sex, lube and more lube and how embracing experimentation and making it fun can really help!
There’s a wealth of i
Don't Ignore the Elephant | Greg Wise: Cancer, Death & Strictly
My first guest is the wonderful actor, writer and producer Greg Wise. He’s appeared on stage and screen as well as getting behind the lens to produce documentaries. At the moment he’s starring in Strictly Come Dancing, inspired by his sister Clare. Greg looked after her as she was dying from breast cancer. He picked up her blog when she was too unwell to write, which became a beautiful book.
He
Don’t Ignore the Elephant - Coming soon
Don’t Ignore the Elephant is a brand new podcast hosted by Dr Liz O’Riordan, the breast surgeon with breast cancer. For too long we’ve been scared to be open and honest about things that embarrass us or scare us. Things like depression, grief, and losing your sex drive. The elephants in the room. Liz will be getting them out in the open and asking the questions that everyone else is too afraid to.
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