Cara Delevingne's sister Chloe undergoes smear test on live TV
Cara Delevingne‘s older sister, Chloe, had her smear test broadcast on live television this morning.
She underwent the process on the BBC’s ‘Victoria Derbyshire’ programme in order to raise awareness of what the process entails, amid news cervical cancer screenings are at a two decade low.
The 33-year-old is on the committee for the Lady Garden Foundation, a national women’s health charity aimed at tackling gynaecological cancers.
Speaking of her experience, Chloe says it’s the “waiting for something to happen’ that is worse than the actual process.
![Chloe Delevingne underwent a smear test on live television. [Photo: BBC]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/j9jTU8LeiaiwubCpXL.5aw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTUyMw--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/homerun/feed_manager_auto_publish_494/77f984192fbd228998809eb035055cf6)
‘It’s not painful, it’s just a bit weird’@cdelevingne has a cervical smear test on our programme.
It was performed by @drphilippakaye who says ‘information is power’ and hopes it will empower women who feel nervous or embarrassed. pic.twitter.com/NNuWbp2jNU
— Victoria Derbyshire (@VictoriaLIVE) January 25, 2019
Dr. Philippa Kaye, who performed the procedure, advises women to keep their bottoms down during the procedure to minimise pain.
Many viewers praised Chloe for agreeing to the broadcast, calling it “amazing” and “brave”.
Amazing to see this on TV. Kudos @VictoriaLIVE! Yes, ‘information is power’. It’s long past time we got more comfortable and honest about our bodies. Brave and sensitive photography and stories coming soon in #Womanhood. #women #CervicalCancerPreventionWeek #womenshealth https://t.co/jPxNLcBkVF
— Laura Dodsworth (@BareReality) January 25, 2019
Bravo to #VictoriaLIVE for doing a live cervical screening! 👏🏼👏🏼 wayyy too many women putting it off, for what?! Why risk your own life for something that’s quick, doesn’t hurt and we all have the same body parts! It baffles me why there are so many women not attending 🤯🤯
— Beth Scattergood (@scattergoodbeth) January 25, 2019
#VictoriaLIVE amazingly brave of Chloe Delevigne to undergo a smear on tv. So inspiring and important. Thank you.
— katrina wheeler (@emptyeggcup) January 25, 2019
![Chloe, pictured on the far right, attended Princess Eugenie’s wedding in October with her sister Cara, pictured wearing a top hat. [Photo: Getty]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/YaZV7qRWY6f9SIjBOsB87A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTc1Mw--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/homerun/feed_manager_auto_publish_494/bd4c144a5a95a5d229e868a9fb20f34c)
Others were less supportive, suggesting the depiction of smear tests was different to their own. It’s worth noting that Chloe’s a mother of two who has already gone for a smear test. In this respect, she would have had a different experience to a first timer who has not given birth, and might find the smear test process more painful.
#VictoriaLIVE At least be honest with viewers. None of my smear tests over the years were EVER as quick and easy as that! 30 minutes once and two nurses trying. GP had to do it in the end.
— Emer O’Neill (@emeroneill1) January 25, 2019
Not painful? You are very lucky!
— Jodie (@JodieBrighton1) January 25, 2019
Other viewers suggested the examination should not have been broadcast on live television.
Ermmm… #VictoriaLive is showing a lady having a smear test live. I’m not really sure about this but it feels weird “watching” this?!
— Amrita Tanna (@Amr1ta) January 25, 2019
Important message yes, but whats next Prostrate test ”live” on TV! 😟
— Anthony Moule (@TonyMoule47) January 25, 2019
Oh my god!!! I cannot watch it is really uncomfortable!!! Ahhhh
— Nics (@NicolettaTurci) January 25, 2019
Chloe co-founded the Lady Garden Foundation in 2014, with friends Mika Simmons and Tamara Beckwith. Her preoccupation with the prevention of cervical cancer follows a health scare of her own at the age of 21, while she was at university.
She told The Telegraph: “I actually completed a dissertation on cervical cancer and the HPV virus.
“At 21 I started to have irregular bleeding and abdominal pains, to name a few symptoms. Luckily, I recognised these as being possible symptoms of cervical cancer, so I went to a GP and requested a smear test.
“It showed that I had precancerous cells and I had to have a LLETZ procedure (large loop excision of the transformation zone) to remove the bad cells.”
Prime Minister Theresa May spoke out about this important issue earlier this week, sharing her own cervical smear test experience.
“I, as a Prime Minister, can stand here and say this – I know what it’s like to go through a cervical smear test,” she told the Commons on Wednesday 23 January.
“It is not comfortable. Sometimes, for some, it will be embarrassing, sometimes it’s painful, but those few minutes can save lives, so I would encourage all women to take up their smear tests.”
Chloe Delevingne is not the first high-profile individual to have a health check on live television. Last November, former Love Island contestant Chris Hughes had his testicles examined on live television to raise awareness of testicular cancer as part of Movember.
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