Rachael Bland hits out at online trolls who accused her of not fighting cancer hard enough

'There were even some berating me for not trying hard enough to save myself'

Update: Rachael Bland has passed away after a lengthy battle with breast cancer

Rachael Bland has spoken out about how she has been berated by social media trolls since announcing her diagnosis of breast cancer two years ago.

The BBC Radio 5 Live presenter announced earlier this week that she has “only got days to live” following a recent diagnosis.

An essay by the 40-year-old co-host of podcast You, Me and the Big C – written ahead of the announcement – has been published by Huffington Post. In it, Bland reveals the online harassment she has received, including people telling her she was not “trying hard enough” to fight cancer.

“I was sent so many beautiful messages along with many telling me to go to foreign climes to try miracle cancer treatment – FYI these all get deleted immediately,” she writes.

“There were even some berating me for not trying hard enough to save myself. But I am 100% behind modern medicine and have enrolled on a clinical trial.”

Bland also thanks those who have been supportive and details how she has coped with the diagnosis.

The broadcaster has been married to her husband Steve for almost five years and recently said she was rushing to complete a memoir for her two-year-old son, Freddie.

Writing in The Telegraph last month, Bland said: “I’m not scared of dying. I only fear for those who I leave behind.”