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Carol McGiffin received her shock diagnosis in 2014(Image: ITV)

Carol McGiffin, best-known for her long and successful run on Loose Women received the heartbreaking diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer in 2014.

She had discovered a lump whilst on holiday, but chose not to tell her partner until she could return home and see her GP. Carol recalled at the time: “I knew from the moment I saw the doctor it was cancer. It was a bit like, ‘Oh, right then. I know what this is about.””

Carol endured a gruelling year of treatment, which included a mastectomy, six rounds of chemotherapy and 15 sessions of radiotherapy. While it was effective in banishing the cancer, Carol has revealed that the impact of that treatment continues to affect her.

The ITV star explained to Best magazine: “I haven’t felt ‘well’ for over 10 years since I had breast cancer, but it wasn’t the cancer that made me feel ill, it was the chemotherapy.”

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Carol was one of Loose Women’s longest-running panellists(Image: ITV)

In an attempt to regain her health, Carol has experimented with various alternative therapies, though they proved unsuccessful: “In an effort to improve how I feel,” she explains. “I’ve fallen for loads of wellness stuff like massages, yoga, spas, even meditation – which, if I’m honest, was all a big waste of time and money.”

Carol remains sceptical of the “wellness” industry – which recent statistics show is valued at over £170 billion in the UK. She believes the entire wellness concept is “dreamt up by clever marketing people” and that regardless of how much money people spend on spa visits or yoga retreats, it will only provide a placebo effect.

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Carol believes that enjoying life is the best medicine (Image: Dave Benett, Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Carol believes the key to a fulfilling life is to ignore wellness trends and simply treat oneself well. Her formula for happiness includes “living in a sunny climate because I believe in the power of the sun, eating a classic Mediterranean diet and crucially, not depriving myself of anything.”

She doesn’t overly concern herself with her diet and instead focuses on leading a stress-free life, which she identifies as “the biggest killer of all.”

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Upon receiving her diagnosis, Carol adopted a practical approach, only sharing the news with a select few: “My mum had cancer and she’d brought us up to be tough about illness. I thought: ‘So what if I’ve got breast cancer? Thousands of women get it every year. I’ll get through this.’”

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Carol, seen here with boyfriend Mark Cassidy, says she lost most of her hair during her cancer treatment(Image: Collect Unknown)

Speaking to the Mirror, she revealed that she had told her partner Mark that he didn’t need to accompany her to the hospital for an early scan: “I thought he’d gone to work as ­promised. I looked at him and said: ‘Yep, it is breast cancer.’ We just went straight to the pub and got absolutely plastered.

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“But there weren’t any tears,” Carol continued. “Cancer is not the death sentence it used to be if it’s caught early because there is loads of good research. You just have to get on with what life throws at you.”

She expressed uncertainty about what might have triggered her cancer, which is why she hasn’t made any significant lifestyle changes: “Cancer does make you look at your lifestyle. Some people say it’s alcohol-related – but it could be anything.

“I could give up drinking tomorrow and still get it. I would be miserable so what would be the point?”