Former BBC presenter Sian Williams undergoes double mastectomy after breast cancer diagnosis

'I thought I was healthy. I did all the right things - I was a green tea drinker, a salmon eater, a runner'

Sian Williams (Getty Images)

The former BBC presenter Sian Williams has revealed she underwent a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Speaking to Woman & Home magazine, Williams explained how she felt the chances of her having breast cancer were so “improbable” that she went to get the results from a mammogram alone, despite having a family history of cancer.

The 5 News at 5 anchor said: “The week after my 50th birthday I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I thought I was healthy. I did all the right things - I was a green tea drinker, a salmon eater, a runner.

“My aunt died of breast cancer, and I'd lost my mum to liver and bowel cancer - and I gradually began to realise how bewildered and scared I was."

Williams described how the shock of her diagnosis impacted upon her relationship with her husband Paul Woolwich, a TV producer, saying she was “horrible” to him at times as she struggled to discuss her fears.

“He never knew if I was ‘strong capable Sian’ or if I needed help, which was very confusing for him. And we had some really explosive moments and furious rows as a result.”

Williams, who is also a trained trauma psychologist, said she spoke to trauma victims to help her process her diagnosis.

‘Being someone who is used to locking difficult feelings up, slamming down the lid and throwing away the key, that was the hardest thing to do. But I realised it’s the first step in working out what matters, and what doesn’t.”

Williams has written a book about her experience, Rise: Surviving And Thriving After Trauma, which is being published in June.