MasterChef star undergoes mastectomy following secret cancer ‘scare’

MasterChef star Thomasina Miers revealed she underwent a mastectomy on Friday, after discovering two lumps.

The 50-year-old chef, who won the beloved BBC cooking show in 2005, shared the news on Wednesday, posting a series of photos of her in hospital alongside a lengthy caption detailing her journey with cancer so far. 

“So….I had a mastectomy last Friday. Originally, I’d had a cyst there, but the 2nd (& 3rd) lump turned out not to be one at all. Quite the reverse. They were bad asses. Take out: Always check a lump EVEN if you think it’s a cyst and do it promptly!!!”

Thomasina then explained that her prognosis looks positive. “Prognosis so far is good. Seem to have stumbled upon some incredible doctors, and I am in awe of them.”

The MasterChef champion went on to list all the things that have helped her, including Hippocrates and Ayurvedic medicine. 

“I believe in the ancient wisdom of Hippocrates & Ayurvedic medicine. Food is medicine. Positive framing is everything. Food is medicine,” she also penned, explaining how important it is to prioritise her mental and emotional health.

Later in the post, she added: “This scare, and what it puts in my path, may help me be braver at taking leaps into the unknown and making some scary decisions. This is a very good thing! We only get one life. So today I am feeling enormously grateful.”

Thomasina – who goes by Tommi to her loved ones – concluded, writing: “So, hugest love to all of you. You follow me, you hang with me, and I don’t tell you often enough what that means to me.

Love, Tommi [three pink heart emojis]. Ps I got dressed today!!! [three strong arm emojis].”

Messages flood in 

Following her brave update, Thomasina received  countless replies from her 160,000 followers, including those from Hollywood actor Richard E Grant, who left a string of red love heart emojis, and Lisa Faulkner, who just two weeks ago revealed her own cancer diagnosis.

“Loads of love, Tommi, sending you all my best, most positive wishes [red love heart emoji].” The wife of former MasterChef host John Torode revealed on 2 July that she underwent surgery last month and has since been given the all-clear from her team of doctors.

“I had surgery two weeks ago, and it was quite a big op, but it’s all good, and I’ve had my results back, and they’ve got everything out, and so it’s all clear, and I just need now to have some radiotherapy in a few weeks,” the chef explained on Instagram. 

She added: “I’ve still got quite a bit of healing to do, but I’m good, I’m well, and feeling so much better.”

Lisa encouraged her followers to book mammogram appointments, adding that if she hadn’t attended her breast screening, the cancer would not have been detected. 

“I am so grateful that I went for my mammogram,” she said. “Don’t put them off, go, because they found this, and without that mammogram it wouldn’t have been picked up.”