Cancer (disease)

OVER one million people watched as Brittany Miller made the perfect roast potato over the weekend – for her perfect twins in her perfect home with her perfect smile.

But behind the 29-year-old influencer’s flawless façade lies a sinister web of lies which saw her fake cancer and con her followers. Now, for the first time we reveal the truth behind her shock scam – and why she’ll stop at nothing to achieve fame.

In 2017, Brittany was an unknown 21-year-old living in Oxfordshire, with dreams of becoming the next big social media influencer. Her small online community were then left shocked when she claimed to have been diagnosed with stage three gastric cancer. 

Her friends rallied around her – a crowdfunding page was set up to help support her financially and interest around her started growing.

But then just as fast as her cancer news started spreading – it then disappeared and wasn’t mentioned again. No trace of her extraordinary lie could be found online. 

It wasn’t until 2020 when Brittany collaborated with a breast cancer awareness charity that her former best friend decided to speak out – revealing the whole thing had been a scam. 

Brittany lied to us all – not just her friends but also her followers online

Former friend

The police have confirmed to The Sun that Brittany was indeed convicted of her crime – fraud by false representation.

In July 2020, she was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and was forced to pay compensation and costs to the Crown Prosecution Service. 

Her criminal record will no longer show up on basic checks, which has left her victims furious. 

Speaking anonymously, a former pal revealed that Brittany had in fact been the one to set up the JustGiving page and had begged her friends to circulate it for her.

They told us: “Brittany lied to us all – not just her friends but also her followers online. 

“Now people are following her and they have no idea what she is really like.

“Yes it happened years ago but lying about cancer is really wrong. Lots of her followers will have family members living with cancer but little do they know that every time they watch one of her videos, they are giving money to a fraud.”

MAKING CASH AND FALLING OUT

Indeed, Brittany has built herself a successful online career. Her videos are mostly her dishing up huge meals, making home comfort food or showing hauls from Temu or Shein.

It might not be groundbreaking stuff but she has 3.5 million people following her on TikTok.

Her boyfriend, Ash Griffiths, regularly features in her clips and in July last year she gave birth to identical twins, Elijah and Emiliano, who have also become a big part of her content. 

The couple recently moved into a plush new home in East Sussex, thanks to the proceeds from Brittany’s TikTok account.

Looking back, another friend recalled how Brittany would tell her she was in hospital, having treatment, including radiotherapy and would guilt trip her when she wasn’t available to hang out with her.

Things came to a head when the pal accused Brittany of stealing money from her grandma.

In messages seen by The Sun, someone appearing to be Brittany admits to taking the cash but blames it on the strong medication she was taking. The pair fell out shortly after. 

In the weeks and months after Brittany’s crime was revealed, there has been a lot of online speculation but she has never addressed what happened. 

The former pal told us: “Brittany has done what she can to erase her history and will delete any comments referencing it.

“It’s pretty scary to think she was happy to lie about cancer and makes you wonder just how far she will go to be super successful.

“This isn’t about getting revenge on her, it’s about people knowing the truth, which they deserve.”

PAST MISTAKES AND PRESENT ISSUES

The cancer scam wasn’t the only time Brittany has been caught telling lies.

In 2018, she was convicted of travelling on the railway without having paid the fare. She gave the officer of the railway company a fake name and address. She was fined £320. 

In recent months, Brittany’s parenting has also come under question and  she revealed how an anonymous hater had accused her of child abuse.

Ash, who is the father of their twins, was even quizzed on her being an alcoholic and a “druggy.”

I’m in the spotlight, I get millions of views every video, I get it, there’s nasty people out there

Brittany on her fame

Unlike in the past, Brittany decided to be very open about what had been going on and, in an emotional video, she acknowledged that someone reported her to social services, not only accusing her of child abuse, but holding her responsible for “lots of things”.

She confirmed that she “got questioned about everything” and was “really upset” when she spoke to them on the phone, so much so that she “kept having to pause” because she was crying so much.

No further action was taken but the whole incident left Brittany shaken up. 

She said at the time: “People are so desperate for my downfall and bringing me down, but bringing my children into it is ludicrous – why would you want to do that to them, innocent babies?

“Do what you want to me, whatever, but to them, innocent children who are clearly very happy and healthy babies, that’s crazy, you’re an actual weirdo, you’re an actual loser.”

Brittany added:  “Never in a million years did I think I’d have to go through something like this – obviously, I’m in the spotlight, I get millions of views every video, I get it, there’s nasty people out there, I understand that. 

“I just think, how cruel can you actually be? So, so cruel.”

It’s not just Brittany who has been left shaken up by it all – her former friends now fear they will be targeted by trolls accusing them of spreading lies to social services.

An insider said: “It feels like trouble follows Brittany. She might have this perfect life on social media but it’s not the truth. This drama with social services won’t be the last she’s involved in. But she’s built up an incredible following now – and they will support her, no matter what.”

Brittany has been contacted for comment.

BELOVED actor Tchéky Karyo has died of cancer at the age of 72.

Karyo was best known for his starring role in the film Nikita, James Bond hit GoldenEye and in the popular BBC series The Missing.

His passing was announced by his wife, actress Valérie Keruzoré, and their two children.

They released a heartbreaking statement saying the French film star had “succumbed to cancer this Friday, October 31”.

Kayro was best known in Britain for his role as TV detective Julien Baptiste in The Missing.

He played Baptise in the eight-part BBC series in 2014 before reprising his role in another eight episodes in 2016.

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Then the BBC launched a spin-off called Baptiste in 2019 centred around Karyo’s character.

At the time, the beloved actor said about the reprisal of the role: “I didn’t expect it, but it’s flattering. This has made me feel young again.”

The creators of Baptise had even teased another season of the mystery thriller earlier this summer.

Earlier on his career Karyo found global success on several top projects.

He played the handler Bob in Luc Besson’s assassin film Nikita in 1990.

Other major roles included Ridley Scott’s historical epic 1492: Conquest of Paradise and the James Bond film GoldenEye.

Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Kayro started out in French cinema in the 1980s.

His first major film role came in crime thriller La Balance in 1982.

His stellar performance even earned him a nomination for the César Award for Best Male Revelation.

One of his most recent roles came in 2023 when he joined forces with the BBC once again for the comedy thriller, Boat Story.

Kayro had 140 roles across his decorated career in both film and TV.

He was also a singer songwriter with two albums being released in 2006 and 2013.

OASIS have confirmed the replacement for guitarist Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs after he left the band’s tour to have cancer treatment.

The Manchester rockers have brought in Mike Moore from frontman Liam Gallagher‘s solo band for gigs in Asia and Australia.

A source told the Mirror: “Mike Moore has been playing for Liam since 2017 and so he knows plenty of the Oasis tunes from the solo gigs.

“It’s not a full time slot in the band and everyone wants Bonehead well and back but it’s a huge privilege for Mike and he’s excited to get on the stage.”

Moore has a long list of credits to his name including contributions to records by Baxter Dury, Duffy, Trampolene, James Arthur and Peter Doherty.

At the beginning of the month, Bonehead told fans in a social media post that he had been responding well to treatment for prostate cancer after being diagnosed at the start of 2025.

rock on

Liam Gallagher, 53, becomes a grandad for first time as daughter gives birth

WHAT’S THE STORY?

Liam Gallagher drops biggest clue yet about Oasis gigs in 2026

The musician, 60, said he was moving onto the second phase of his treatment and as a result needed to miss a leg of the reunion tour.

His statement read: “Early this year I was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

“The good news is I’m responding really well to treatment, which meant I could be part of this incredible tour.

“Now, I am having to take a planned break for the next phase of my care, so I’ll be missing the gigs in Seoul, Tokyo, Melbourne and Sydney.

“I’m really sad to be missing these shows but I’m feeling good and will be back ready to go in time for South America.

“Have an amazing time if you’re going this month and I’ll see you back onstage with the band in November.”

He is due to return to the stage on November 15 in Buenos Aires for the first of the final five concerts of the tour.

Oasis shared the statement on X and added: “Wishing you all the best with your treatment Bonehead – we’ll see you back on stage in South America.”

Noel Gallagher’s daughter also Anais wished him well, commenting on Instagram: “We love you so much bonehead!” while Liam’s daughter Molly Moorish wrote: “Sending love!”

Bonehead was in the band from 1991 to 1999 and played on some of their biggest hits.

The musician then rejoined when they reunited for their hugely lucrative Oasis Live ‘25 Tour.

Bonehead, who has two children with his wife Kate, previously told in 2022 how he had been diagnosed with tonsil cancer, although he was later given the all-clear.

SUPERSTAR Taylor Swift has quietly donated $100,000 to help save the life of little girl fighting cancer. 

The Sun can reveal the Look What You Made Me singer, 35, made the huge donation on Friday night after finding herself trawling the pages of GoFundMe. 

The singer’s money will go towards to helping a little girl named Lilah who suffered her first seizure aged 18 months before having surgery to remove a stage 4 tumour just weeks later.

She has since been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of brain cancer – with only 58 known cases in the world. 

A source said: “Taylor has always been keen to give back and help others but even by her standard this is staggering. 

“She often finds herself on GoFundMe reading about the plight of others and Lilah’s story really touched her.

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“Hopefully, her donation can help bring an end to her years of pain.”

Lilah’s mum previously took to social media to reveal how she turned to Taylor’s music to help get her through her darkest moments. 

She even almost named her daughter after Taylor’s 2020 single Willow. 

Posting on Instagram, she wrote: “Also Lilah’s name was originally going to be Willow. 

“We were set on that name my whole pregnancy but ultimately ended on Lilah. I listened to Taylor my whole pregnancy and then birthed a mini Swiftie.”

Lilah loves Taylor’s music and during her cancer treatment she always found joy in it. I hope Lilah gets through this diagnosis and gets to one day go to a Taylor Swift concert in person. I know she would love it.”

After two rounds of chemo Lilah and her family are now trying to figure out the next stage of treatment. 

Her family added via her GoFundMe page: “All the donations we receive will help us with travel expenses and paying bills as we are still out of work while Lilah is in treatment.”

THE son of Dame Deborah James has honoured her “amazing” legacy by following in her fundraising footsteps.

Hugo Bowen ran the Royal Parks Half Marathon at the weekend, smashing his target to raise £3,000 for her Bowelbabe Fund, in true Dame Debs style.

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The 18-year-old told The Sun: “Running was something Mum and I used to do when I was younger, we often did park runs and I think I spurred her on to run a little faster.

“It was amazing, there was so much support along the route, which really helped motivate me to run harder and faster than I would have.

“It meant so much to be able to run in memory of her, and the amazing change she has inspired.”

Reflecting on the advice his running-obsessed mum would’ve given before the race, he added: “She would definitely have told me to make sure I had had a poo.

“And to ‘go smash it’, which I probably did a bit too much at the start, so I was super tired towards the end.”

Hugo was 14 years old when Dame Deborah died at the age of 40 in June 2022, five and a half years after being diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer. 

In the last weeks of her life, the Sun columnist launched her Bowelbabe Fund, aiming to raise £250,000 to help fund research into the disease to help prevent “any future Deborahs”, and give cancer patients the hope of new and better treatments.

So far, the Fund has supported more than 11 different projects, including a state-of-the-art interventional radiology machine at The Royal Marsden hospital where Deborah was treated.

Other scientific studies that have received a contribution from the Fund include one that is investigating personalised medicine for patients with bowel cancer, a cause Dame Debs was very passionate about.

And earlier this year, Deborah’s husband Seb Bowen, parents Heather and Alistair James and brother Ben James were on hand when the new Bowelbabe Lab was unveiled at The Francis Crick Institute, home to a team of scientists using ‘mini bowel tumours’ or organoids to test new and more targeted treatments.

Just days later Heather and Alistair were invited to a reception with King Charles where His Majesty hailed Deborah “an inspiration to us all, in sickness and health”.

The King went on to quote Debs parting message to her followers before she died: “Find a life worth enjoying; take risks; love deeply; have no regrets; and always, always have rebellious hope.”

“I’m honestly so proud of Mum and everything the Fund has done to help others,” Hugo added.

“I remember when she set it up she had a target of £250,000 and now we are at over £18million raised – it is beyond what any of us could’ve imagined.

“It’s such a beautiful legacy for my Mum and the research it is funding will save so many lives.”

Inspired by his mum, Hugo has already added another £4,300 to the Fund’s total, and thanked all those who have supported him so far.

“Everyone has been so supportive, I thought £3,000 would be a really difficult target to hit but we’ve smashed it and I’m so happy and honestly so surprised,” he added.

“I’m really grateful to everyone that has donated.”

Hugo was just the latest in the family to take on a running challenge, with Debs’ brother Ben and sister Sarah taking on the London Marathon this year – Sarah wearing the same poo emoji costume her sister was often seeing running in.

To donate to Hugo’s efforts, visit  https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/hugos-royal-parks-half.

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A MAN lived with a transplanted pig liver for more than a month in the most successful operation of its kind, scientists say.

The terminally ill 71-year-old received the genetically modified organ in Anhui, China, last year.

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It then functioned normally for 38 days – five weeks – before having to be removed due to blood clotting, a complication from the op.

The patient was the first living person to have the procedure and survived for 171 days, about six months, afterwards.

He had run out of treatment options for liver cancer and scarring caused by hepatitis B, and died from internal bleeding months after the transplant was removed.

His survival is not as long as the record for a patient with a pig’s kidney, at six months and counting.

But it was longer than the previous record for a liver, set by a brain-dead patient whose life support was turned off after 10 days.

Scientists have also experimented with transplanting a lung into a brain-dead patient.

A new era has started

Dr Heiner WedemeyerThe Journal of Hepatology

Surgeon and study author Dr Beicheng Sun, from Anhui Medical University, said: “This case proves that a genetically engineered pig liver can function in a human for an extended period.

“It is a pivotal step forward, demonstrating both the promise and the remaining hurdles.”

Scientists hope that organs from pigs could be used to save people at risk of dying on transplant waiting lists.

They are similar in size to human body parts and gene editing can cut the risk of the immune system rejecting them.

Writing in the Journal of Hepatology, Dr Sun said more experiments are needed to perfect the procedure.

Dr Heiner Wedemeyer, editor of the journal, said: “A new era of transplant has started.”

A BRITISH grandad and veteran suffering from cancer has been left homeless and starving in Dubai after being arrested for a crime he’d been acquitted of a decade earlier.

John Murphy, who served in the British military before building a life in the UAE, was arrested a decade earlier over allegations of being offensive to hotel security.

The 59-year-old’s lawyers said he should have walked free but he was jailed awaiting trial.

In the interim period, John’s landlord sued him for rent arrears that piled up during his detention.

His belongings were seized, a travel ban imposed, and his passport withheld.

The travel ban imposed on him has also never been lifted.

For nearly 10 years he has been trapped in Dubai, unable to work and unable to leave, putting John in an ‘inescapable legal limbo’.

John’s lawyers now say he has been ‘literally starving’.

The grandfather has been forced to sleep on public transport and wash in shopping centre toilets, according to his legal contacts.

“I haven’t eaten in four days,” Murphy said in a message sent from Dubai.

“I’ve been on the streets for three weeks.

“I try to ride the metro all day to rest, but security chase me away.

“I wash in mall toilets, I’ve been in the same clothes for weeks, and my health is failing.

“I need urgent cancer treatment and dental care, but I have nowhere to turn.”

Despite homelessness being illegal in the UAE, when John attempted to surrender to the police, they refused to arrest him.

He has been surviving on public transport, caught between a rock and a hard place – unable to leave, unable to work, unable to resolve his debts.

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Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai said John’s situation was “outrageous”.

“John was found innocent, yet ten years later he is starving on the streets, denied cancer treatment, food, or shelter,” she said.

“This is the direct result of a system that criminalises debt and traps people in a cycle of poverty and despair.

“They won’t let him leave, and they won’t even arrest him. He is being left to die in plain sight.”

A friend of John’s has launched a GoFundMe page and appealed directly to both the British and Irish embassies for help.

To date, neither has secured his release.

“The Trump administration successfully repatriated a number of American citizens from the UAE,” Stirling added.

“It is disappointing that Britain and Ireland have not stepped in to save John Murphy.

“He is a veteran, a grandfather, and he has already suffered enough.

“The Irish and British governments must act now.”

John’s quagmire comes after British student Mia O’Brien was detained in the city after being busted with 50g of cocaine.

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Mia was sentenced to spend 25 years in a UAE prison after she was found with the drugs that had a street value of £2500.

Her family this week issued a plea for help saying she had “never done a bad thing in her life” and had made a “very stupid mistake”.

But now her heartbroken mum Danielle McKenna, 46, has revealed new details about her lengthy jail term.

She revealed that Mia, 23, was caught with 50 grams of the Class A drug in the Middle East last October.

The huge amount of cocaine was found inside Mia’s apartment in “one big chunk”.

The Liverpool University law student was arrested alongside two other people – her friend and the friend’s boyfriend.

All three have been charged with drug dealing.

Mia was convicted by a judge after a one day hearing on July 25.

She was also fined a staggering £100,000 by the court before being sent to the hellish Dubai Central Prison, also known as Al-Awir.

The notorious lock-up has been dubbed the affluent city’s version of infamous jail Alcatraz.

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“Mia feels she has destroyed her life as she wanted to be a lawyer or solicitor, ” Danielle told the Daily Mail.

“I speak to her but she can’t say too much on the phone.

“She’s just made a stupid mistake after going over to see a friend and her boyfriend in Dubai.”

The mother-of-five said Mia pleaded not guilty to intent to supply the drugs.

But the judge swiftly ended the trial and handed her a life sentence of which she has to serve 25 years.

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KATIE Price has rushed to the doctors saying she ‘doesn’t know’ why she’s ‘losing so much weight.’ 

The 47-year-old’s very slimmed-down figure in recent months left some fans more worried than ever as they reached out to express their worry for the mum-of-five.

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Katie has drastically lost weight over the past 12 months amid ongoing fears for her frail frame.

And now the former glamour model revealed that she’s been in hospital due to the worrying weight loss. 

Katie opened up to fans on Snapchat this weekend, saying: “I’ve been up early at the doctors so she could do some bloods and because my veins are so s*** they had three attempts. 

“They could only fill two tubes up, so I’ve got to go back in two weeks. 

“And I’ve got to have my stitches out then because they looked at my little stab wound that I did.

“The reason I’m going to the doctors is because I keep losing weight and I don’t know why. So that’s that.” 

As well as the weight loss, Katie attended A&E recently for another health problem as she accidentally stabbed herself in the hand. 

The former Mucky Mansion star attempted to make curry before she ended up in A&E.

The former Eurovision Song Contest hopeful needed stitches and said the deep cut had left half of her left hand numb.

She revealed the injury ripped through her ligaments and nerves, causing potential damage.

She revealed: “Last night I accidentally stabbed myself with a knife, you can see on the injury how deep it was, and I had to have stitches”.

This comes after the former I’m a Celebrity campmate sparked concern when she told her followers that she spent a night in A&E. 

She took to Snapchat to share with her fans that she’d been to hospital, but Katie didn’t reveal why.

The former glamour model posted a photo of the A&E sign at night and wrote: “Not what I had on my Bingo card for Friday night.”

Then in a second snap, the media personality was seen getting her eyebrows laminated, as she shared an additional update. 

Katie revealed: “What a day, I didn’t plan on ending up in A&E on a Friday night.”

Katie also recently revealed she is undergoing medical tests after recurring pain in the same finger where she previously had cancer.

The star said her recent symptoms have raised fears the disease could return.

Katie has also been having blood work done and discovered she has a low blood platelet count that could have the ability to cause her weight to drop.

The mum-of-five said: “I’ve had my bloods done, and I’ve got really really low platelets and I thought that was (low) iron, and it’s not.

“And that could be a reason why maybe I’ve got thinner.

“I’m tired, no energy. They [the doctors] said it can affect that and I think you might have to have a blood transfusion to get them [the platelets] back up again.

“So I’ve got to go back and have my bloods done again.”

Katie went on to speak about her previous battle with a very rare form of cancer.

Back in 2002 while she was pregnant with son Harvey, 23, she developed a rare form of soft tissue cancer on her finger, specifically a leiomyosarcoma.

Speaking to her sister Sophie on the latest episode of their podcast, Katie said: “Another thing that’s really weird, you know when I had cancer years ago.

“For some who didn’t know, when I was pregnant with Harvey I got cancer, called leiomyosarcoma.

“If you look at my finger, there is like a hole there and a scar there, I had it cut out twice. Can you see that dent? It never hurt.

“But a lump started coming up and I thought I had been riding and done something to my finger.

“But anyway cut the long story short it was leiomyosarcoma so I had to have MRI scans and all of that for six years until I was clear.”

Katie said over the past few weeks the same finger has been hurting again.

KATIE’S CANCER BATTLE

Kate had a rare soft-tissue cancer when she was 24 years old.

The former glamour model previously revealed the ordeal came came just 11 weeks after she had been told that Harvey was blind and had Prader-Willi Syndrome.

Speaking to Katherine Ryan on her What’s My Name Again? podcast, Katie said: “While I was pregnant with Harvey I got cancer. I didn’t know that until, because they couldn’t do all the scans, after.”

A manicurist initially spotted the lump on Katie’s hand.

Two doctors dismissed it as harmless, but after a biopsy was carried out, Katie was told that the lump was leiomyosarcoma.

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THE NHS is chucking tens of millions of pounds down the drain by failing to stamp out health tourism.

At a time of sky-high taxes, it’s intolerable that money is being lavished on “free” care for foreign visitors.

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New figures show that hospitals are owed £252million for treatment given to patients from abroad — that’s enough to provide 5,000 extra nurses.

The NHS prides itself on providing medical attention free at the point of use to anyone who needs it, irrespective of their status or wealth.

But it is not a charity and trusts have a duty to safeguard taxpayers’ money.

With 7.4million on waiting lists for routine treatment in England, it is an outrage that bosses are writing off such huge sums.

Brits facing long delays for ops or forced to wait for hours on hospital trolleys will be appalled that this small fortune is not being spent on them and their families.

To make matters worse, one of the main reasons managers do not bother to chase outstanding fees is simply that it makes them feel “uncomfortable”.

Public satisfaction with the NHS — which also spent £1.8million on “staff networks” hosting “woke” events over the past two years — has sunk to a record low.

Three-quarters of hospitals are in debt.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has warned senior execs there is “nowhere to hide” on “wasteful spenders”.

They’re hiding in plain sight currently.

Petering out

PAINFULLY slowly, the truth about the Peter Mandelson debacle is being dragged out of Number Ten.

After going to ground at the end of last week, Sir Keir Starmer surfaced yesterday to admit he HAD known about emails from Mandelson to the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein when he defended his US ambassador at Prime Minister’s Questions.

Specifically he knew the Foreign Office was investigating what would prove to be a huge scandal, but did not know — or did not ask — precisely what had been written.

This is a prime example of the PM blasting himself in both feet.

First by chaotically backing then sacking Mandelson — and then by taking an age to set out the facts.

Danny ploy

WHILE Labour rips itself apart, Nigel Farage is getting on with making Reform more professional.

MP Danny Kruger — the latest Tory defector to his party — is a serious thinker, with experience of No10.

Putting him in charge of Reform’s preparations for Government is another sign Farage isn’t messing around.

ALL medications, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, and even herbal remedies, have the potential to cause side effects.

But experts have warned weight loss jab users to pay real attention to any side effects they experience, as they could actually be signalling deadly cancer, as Dawn Clegg tragically found out.

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The 51-year-old, from Morecambe, Lancashire, had been using Mounjaro to treat her diabetes, but in March this year, she began suffering from chest pain, which she initially put down to a side effect of the jabs.

When the pain persisted, she headed to A&E before doctors made a shocking discovery.

After undergoing several X-rays, doctors spotted shadows on her lungs, kidneys and breast, and she was diagnosed with soft-tissue cancer, known as sarcoma.

Dawn was then given the life-shattering news that she had less than a year to live.

Her heartbroken husband, Arron Clegg, 51, is planning to hold a “living wake” in November to celebrate the life of his wife.

He said: “We were devastated on hearing news of cancer in these areas – there is no cure and she is now terminal.”

Weight loss expert at The Lagom Clinic, Dr Jack Ogden, said he has also been made aware of a fat jab user mistaking symptoms of cancer for side effects, though they weren’t linked to the clinic.

He tells Sun Health: “As a clinician, hearing about cases like this is always sobering. It reinforces how easy it is for both patients and healthcare professionals to attribute symptoms to the most obvious cause.

“In this case, weight loss injections, when something more serious may be underlying.”

The fat jab user, a 52-year-old who remains anonymous, began experiencing persistent fatigue, feeling full quickly, and mild nausea while on a GLP-1 weight loss injection.

They initially assumed these symptoms were routine side effects, but they persisted beyond the expected two to three-week adjustment period.

Further investigation by their GP revealed a diagnosis of stage two stomach cancer – which isn’t very common in the UK but can be deadly.

When detected early, stomach cancer has a high chance of being cured.

But it’s often diagnosed at a more advanced stage, which makes it harder to treat and means survival rates can be low.

Dr Ogden said: “It’s important to monitor persistent symptoms, keep a log of side effects, and seek prompt medical advice if anything unusual arises.”

So what cancer symptoms could people mistake for the side effects of fat jabs?

Here, a team of experts offer their life-saving advice…

THE SYMPTOMS YOU MUST NOT IGNORE

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THERE are more than 200 different types of cancer, and they all have different signs and symptoms.

While some affect specific areas of the body, symptoms can be more general and similar to those caused by less serious conditions or medication side effects.

Superintendent pharmacist at pharmica.co.uk, Ana Carolina Goncalves, said symptoms such as persistent indigestion, heartburn and abdominal pain are potential side effects of weight loss injections, but could also be signs of liver, bladder, pancreatic or stomach cancer.

She says: “Thyroid swelling or a lump in the neck might be dismissed as an injection side effect, but it could also indicate thyroid cancer.

“The risk of thyroid swelling has been confirmed as a potential side effect by the manufacturers of both Mounjaro and Wegovy.

“And nausea is another common side effect of weight loss jabs that can also indicate liver, bladder or pancreatic cancer.

“There’s a lot of overlap between the symptoms of different organ cancers (like liver and pancreatic cancer) because they affect similar areas of the body.

“This can make identification of cancer symptoms difficult, especially when side effects of weight loss injections are also present.”

It’s also important to note that while use of the jabs results in weight loss, sudden, unexplained, unintentional, and significant (more than 5 per cent of your body weight in six to 12 months) weight loss could be a red flag for cancer.

HOW TO SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

THERE’S not always an easy way to tell the difference between cancer symptoms and weight loss side effects.

It depends on the symptoms you experience, says Ms Goncalves.

She explains: “High levels of acid reflux or heartburn that persist even after you’ve stopped weight loss injections should definitely be looked into by a doctor or GP.

“Also, a lump in the neck, hoarseness, or difficulty swallowing could indicate thyroid cancer.

“It’s not possible to fully tell on your own, so you should consult your doctor or GP if you experience these symptoms.”

WHAT’S THE RISK?

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KEVIN Joshua, clinical lead at Juniper, an online healthcare provider, says while it’s not very common, confusing symptoms and side effects are a real risk.

He warns: “The danger is that someone may put persistent or worsening symptoms down to the medication, rather than seeing their GP.

“That missed time can make all the difference in cancer treatment and survival.”

Ms Gonclaves adds: “Cancer caught early is far easier to treat. If people assume ongoing pain, nausea or weight loss is just a side effect, they may only get checked once the cancer is more advanced – and that can be life-threatening.

“Given the increasing use of weight loss injections in the UK, the potential for confusion is likely growing, especially for cancer symptoms that overlap with common injection side effects.

“However, there’s currently no large-scale study that estimates how frequently cancer symptoms are misattributed to jabs.

“But it’s important to note the safety of Wegovy and Mounjaro has been proven in clinical trials, and they are licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for weight management in the UK.”

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

IF you experience any symptoms after starting weight loss jabs, Dr Ogden recommends you do the following:

1. Track your symptoms – keep a daily log noting timing, intensity, and duration.
2. Monitor persistence – common side effects usually settle within two to three weeks.
3. Note severity changes – sudden worsening or new symptoms are red flags.
4. Consult a healthcare professional promptly – don’t wait to see if symptoms pass if they are unusual or severe.
5. Communicate openly – share your symptom log with your GP or specialist for accurate assessment.

Weight loss injections can be safe and effective, but awareness and careful monitoring are essential, added Dr Ogden.

“Early detection of serious issues can save lives and prevent complications.”

The majority of common side effects, such as nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, skin redness or fatigue, can be managed with adequate hydration, dietary choices, and over‑the‑counter medication.

Ms Goncalves advises: “You can try eating smaller meals, and using herbal teas or oral rehydration salts to alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms.

“You should drink fluids regularly to ensure you are hydrated.”

But you should seek medical help if symptoms are severe, continue for more than a few weeks, or are linked with alarm signs like vomiting blood, blood in stools, jaundice, unexplained weight loss or a lump.

“These should never be written off as ‘just the jab’,” said Mr Joshua.

JACK Osbourne has revealed the heartbreaking moment he was told of his father Ozzy’s death.

The rock legend died at the age of 76 on July 22, and was laid to rest next to the lake in his Buckinghamshire home.

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Ozzy’s tragic passing came just weeks after his last concert in Birmingham.

It was also the last time son Jack saw his dad, he shared in a new YouTube video.

“My dad was great. He was in a good mood he was happy,” he said.

“I woke up in Los Angeles to a knock on my house door at around 3.45 in the morning.

“Someone who has worked for my family for about 30 years now was knocking on my door and when I looked through my window and I saw it was him, I knew something bad had happened.

“I was informed that my father had passed.”

The grieving son continued: “So many thoughts, there was a level of like “okay, he’s not struggling. He’s not suffering anymore”. And that is something. 

“I wish he was still here, you know? I wish he was still with us all, but he was having a rough go and I think people saw that at the show.”

Jack rushed back to England to support his family, and prepare for the funeral, as well as a procession through Birmingham in his father’s memory.

Thousands of mourners lined the streets and left tributes at the Black Sabbath Bridge.

“I speak for the family when I saw this. We are so grateful for that and it meant so much…. it was validating because I know we weren’t alone”, Jack added.

The late rock legend’s son previously shared a heartwarming clip to Instagram and explained how hand-written letters, memorabilia, and merch were being “carefully preserved”.

Jack told how every item will be recorded on a digital database and given to the Osbourne family.

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The icon’s funeral, a private ceremony held at the family home in Buckinghamshire, took place the following day.

Jack continued: “I actually shared this at my at my father’s funeral.

“There’s an interview with Keanu Reeves. He’s on some nighttime talk show or whatever and they asked him, ‘What do you think happens when you die?’

“And Keanu Reeves answer was, ‘I don’t know what happens when you die, but what I do know is the people that love you miss you the most’.

“I felt that immensely. He wasn’t just a father to me. He was my colleague. We worked together in so many capacities.

“I had recently moved, there was a period where I was between houses and I moved back in with him.

“So, he was my housemate in my late 30s and it was awesome. Me and the kids were living here. Just a friend, a text buddy, a joke cracker.”

The dad-of-four described Ozzy as “funny, and weird and awkward and clumsy and just hilarious and so insightful”, throughout his health battles.

Concluding the interview, Jack said: “He’s exploding through the universe and we’re all seeing it. So, I’ll just end with this, you know, thank you.”

‘HE LIVED HIS LIFE FULLY’

Shortly after his father’s death, Jack took to social media to share a touching tribute.

He said: “I haven’t really wanted to post anything since the passing of my father. My heart has hurt too much. 

“I’m gonna keep this short because he certainly hated long rambling speeches.

“He was so many things to so many people, but I was so lucky and blessed to be apart of a very small group that got to call him “Dad.” 

“My heart is full of so much sadness and sorrow, but also so much love and gratitude.”

Jack continued: “I got 14,501 days with that man and I know that is such a blessing. I think this quote best describes my father.

“Hunter S. Thompson once said: “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body… but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, ‘Wow! What a ride!'” 

He added: “That was my dad. He lived and he lived his life fully. I love you dad.”

In recent years, Ozzy had been battling numerous health conditions, including Parkinson’s.

His official death certificate lists ‘acute myocardial infarction’ and ‘out of hospital cardiac arrest’ under the cause of death section.

It also listed coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease with autonomic dysfunction as “joint causes” of Ozzy’s death.

In his final performance, Ozzy sang five songs in his own set, with fans waving torches from their phones during Mama, I’m Coming Home.

He finished his performance with Crazy Train, before confetti rained over a packed Villa Park.

FAMILY UNITED

The Osbourne family have fiercely defended their late patriarch since his death.

Jack yesterday hit out at Pink Floyd legend Roger Waters in a sweary rant over comments about Ozzy.

Roger told The Independent Ink: “Ozzy Osbourne, who just died, bless him in whatever that state he was in his whole life.”

He added: “We’ll never know. The music, I have no idea. I couldn’t give a f**k.”

Roger finished by saying: “I don’t care about Black Sabbath, I never did.

“Have no interest in biting the heads of chickens or whatever they do. I couldn’t care less, you know.”

Taking to his Instagram Story, Jack soon fired back at these comments.

He penned: “Hey @rogerwaters. F*** You. How pathetic and out of touch you’ve become.

“The only way you seem to get attention these days is by vomiting out bulls*** in the press.

“My father always thought you were a c**t – thanks for proving him right.”

Meanwhile, sister Kelly Osbourne last month slammed WWE star  Becky Lynch for her comments.

The wrestler made a fiery promo ahead of her Intercontinental Title match with Nicki Bella this Sunday.

Addressing the crowd Lynch said: “The only good thing that came outta here died a month ago.”

She added: “But in fairness to Ozzy Osbourne, he had the good sense to move to L.A. Because if I lived in Birmingham, I’d die too.”

Kelly said in a post afterwards: “Becky Lynch you are a disrespectful dirtbag! Birmingham would not p*** on you if you were on fire.

“Shame on the WWE for allowing such things to be said about my father and his home!”

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THE world’s first smartphone test for type 2 diabetes has launched in the UK.

The app-based check is designed to make it easier for people to spot their risk and could help cut complications such as heart attacks, strokes, and kidney disease, which are often linked to diabetes.

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Patients place a drop of blood from a finger-prick onto a chip, which is then scanned by the PocDoc app to give results almost instantly.

NHS trusts in Cumbria and the North East are the first to roll it out, with a nationwide launch planned later this year.

The Government has hailed the app as a “potential game-changer” in the fight against diabetes as results come in within minutes, instead of the days or weeks it can currently take.

Around 5.2 million people in the UK have type 2 diabetes, with cases still rising – and a further 1.3 million thought to be undiagnosed.

“Enabling screening for type 2 diabetes risk including blood biomarkers via a smartphone app is something that has never been done before,” said PocDoc chief executive Steve Roest.

Professor Julia Newton, medical director at HI NENC, said the test could reach people who struggle with conventional health checks.

“Most people over the age of 40 are invited for an NHS health check every five years, but depending on where you live a large chunk don’t attend,” she said.

“One of the reasons we’ve found is accessing a health check in a conventional setting.

“So if those tests are made more easily available, which this test does, then we have the opportunity to reach far more people.”

She added: “If you consider the number of people with diabetes who go onto have heart attacks and strokes, if we can manage their risk before it becomes a problem that will reduce admissions to hospital, reduce mortality, and reduce complications from diabetes, such as kidney disease, heart disease, and stroke disease.”

The HbA1c finger-prick test is considered the gold standard blood test. This is because it shows average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months, giving a clearer picture than daily checks.

Steve said the app fits directly with Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s 10-year NHS plan, spotting illnesses earlier, tailoring care, and shifting more testing and diagnosis into homes and communities.

“There’s a huge gap in screening for preventable diseases,” he said.

“Right now, the system, not just in the UK but worldwide, cannot find, assess, and diagnose enough people to make a dent in tackling heart attacks, strokes, and type 2 diabetes.”

Health minister Stephen Kinnock told The i Paper that the app rollout was important because type 2 diabetes is on the rise across England.

“This is a potential game-changer and exactly the type of technology we want to see in the NHS as part of the 10 Year Health Plan – bringing our health service firmly into the 21st century and care directly into people’s homes.

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“We will make using the NHS as simple and convenient as online banking or shopping, while helping companies bring new technology into the health service more quickly.”

The seed of the device was planted 30 years ago when Steve was a teenager and witnessed his father having a catastrophic stroke in his early forties, due to undiagnosed cardiovascular disease (CVD).

“Using smartphones to deliver diagnostics is exactly what could have saved my dad from having so many [health] problems. He’s cost the NHS a fortune,” Steve said.

Around £9bn is spent on treating complications arising from diabetes, such as heart disease, kidney problems, and nerve damage.

Studies suggest that the annual cost of the disease could increase to £16.9 bn in the next 25 years.

The app’s launch comes 24 hours after the Government announced the biggest shake-up of diabetes care in a decade.

Around 750,000 patients with CVD or early-onset diabetes would benefit from fat jabs sooner, rather than keeping them for the later stages of treatment, new guidance states.

THE early signs of cancer could be detected by listening to a patient’s voice, scientists say.

Using AI, subtle changes in the acoustics of a person’s voice helped pick up lesions in people diagnosed with voice box cancer.

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Researchers believe AI could be trained to hear these changes within a “couple of years”.

There are around 2,000 new cases of voice box (laryngeal) cancer in the UK each year.

A hoarse voice for more than three weeks can be a key symptom, and should be investigated by a GP.

Using AI for diagnosis could spell the end of uncomfortable tests currently used, such as a biopsy or nasendoscopy, in which a thin tube with a video camera is passed through the nose down the back of the throat.

The American team, part of the ‘Bridge2AI-Voice’ project, gathered voice recordings of 300 patients, some of whom had voice box cancer.

They studied at least six features of voice acoustics: the mean fundamental frequency (pitch); jitter, variation in pitch within speech; shimmer, variation of the amplitude; and the harmonic-to-noise ratio.

There were “marked” differences between men with and without cancer or a voice box disorder, such as nodules or polyps, specifically the harmonic-to-noise ratio, according to the findings published in the journal Frontiers in Digital Health.

It’s possible the same will be found for women with a larger dataset.

One of the study’s authors, Dr Phillip Jenkins, of Oregon Health & Science University, said: “To move from this study to an AI tool that recognises vocal fold lesions, we would train models using an even larger dataset of voice recordings, labelled by professionals.

“We then need to test the system to make sure it works equally well for women and men.

“Voice-based health tools are already being piloted.

“I estimate that with larger datasets and clinical validation, similar tools to detect vocal fold lesions might enter pilot testing in the next couple of years.”

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The symptoms of voice box cancer

Cancer Research UK have said there are four key symptoms of laryngeal cancer to look out for:

MICKY Higham sat down with his two sons and spelled it out after receiving the news he dreaded – this time will be different.

For years, the hooker rolled the blows in a career that saw him play for Leigh, Wigan, Warrington and St Helens.

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He toughed it out against the very best for England and Great Britain. This battle, though, is off the field.

Noticing a lump on his right buttock turned out to be something much more serious – a 10cm cancerous tumour, with tests finding the disease had spread and the devastating diagnosis of stage four widespread metastasized cancer.

And the pain caused this time around is far more significant after it returned, three years after fighting off a metastatic malignant melanoma.

“Originally, I just kept it really low key,” said Higham, who has started immunotherapy treatment. “I said, ‘Lads, I’ve just found another lump. I’ll have to get it sorted next time.’

“Harry, my eldest, is 21 in January and they’re not stupid. He got wind.

“So I sat them down last Sunday and said, ‘Listen, it’s going to be a bit worse this time fellas. I just need to give your mum some help around the house.’

“I’m not missing them playing rugby, Harry at Swinton and Alex for Leigh Miners Rangers. I’m not missing that as they’re a big reason why I keep fighting and going.

“I found a small lump on my right bum cheek. I had an issue with my toe too and thought, ‘It’s a bit sore. I might just have a bit of a knock.’

“So I left it a week or two, then I thought, ‘The pain’s a bit more.’ It went down my leg a bit, so I felt the lump again and thought, ‘It doesn’t feel like a knock. That feels really hard.’

“I told my doctor and he said, ‘Let’s get it checked in after the last time.’ It was a cancerous tumour on my right glute, then I had some more scans.

“A PET scan really showed up the melanoma. It’s come to the shoulders, it’s in my arms, my hips. It’s come to my legs.

“It’s in my chest, my groins and in my lymph nodes. It was a pretty widespread and stage four, so it was a real kick in the teeth.

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“I’m quite shocked how quick the pain’s come on. Each week, you’re like, ‘Wow, it’s coming on more there.’

“This one’s a tougher battle, but I’m ready to attack it. I’ve never had anything given to me in life and I’ve always had to work hard for things.

“I may be struggling a bit but I’m ready for it.”

Higham, 44, is keeping up the traits that saw him through his last cancer battle – his relaxation and his determination.

The pain means he has had to step back from the gym he owns and radio punditry duties for the time being – but if you think he is sat at home moping, think again.

He has already sorted the first event as he looks to raise funds – with a target of £50,000 just beaten after £25,000 then £40,000 was met.

A bucket collection was held outside and inside the ground at Friday’s match between two of his former clubs – the Leopards and Wolves – while Leigh owner Derek Beaumont has launched a special fundraising shirt.

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Higham will also walk from his hometown of Leigh to the Monton area of Salford on Sunday, August 24 and typically, the thought of doing it for others is at the forefront of his mind.

“I want to give something back to the Christie and Macmillan because for the last three years they’ve been fantastic,” Higham added.

“My pain was quite severe last week but they just said, ‘Come in, we’ll check you out. We’ll change your medication and provide some relief, literally within days.

“I can’t really put into words the work they do. I’m not one for shouting but sometimes you’ve got to get on board, don’t you?”

Higham’s condition and treatment under Manchester’s Christie Hospital means he can see the toll it is taking on wife Kate.

After the last cancer fight, it is something he did nit want to see again – but just like him, she is doing her bit as he looks to get on a European drug trial after being turned down for a UK one.

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He told SunSport: “I obviously had a big setback with that. To get on a clinical trial, I had to have my blood done.

“All the enzymes have got to be pretty level with everybody and mine are a lot higher than everybody else. I was told it could be down to being a sportsperson over the years.

“To give myself the best chance of getting it down, I did Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and didn’t move off the couch.

“Unfortunately, it was still too high but even though Kate’s doing it tougher than me, she and her friend have been having a good look around and there is something.

“Because I’ve got my immuno now, every three weeks for the next four months, it’s 12 weeks and they’ll re-scan me.

“The immuno might do the job but if not, we might look at the option if there’s something available there.”

*YOU can donate to the fundraising appeal for Micky Higham at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/emma-worrall-2.

A BELOVED children’s author who wrote over 150 books has died aged 87.

Allan Ahlberg produced a host of bestselling nursery classics during a stellar career as an author.

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Some of his most famous work includes lasting favourites Peepo!, The Baby’s Catalogue and Each Peach Pear Plum.

He came to writing in his late thirties, when his wife Janet grew tired of illustrating non-fiction and asked him to write a story for her to illustrate.

Allan later recalled the moment was “as if she turned a key in my back and I was off”.

The Ahlbergs went on to produce 37 books together, and Allan also wrote more than 100 others, some in Janet’s lifetime, and some since her death from breast cancer in 1994.

Following Janet’s death, Allan worked with illustrators such as Raymond Briggs and Bruce Ingman.

His career came full circle in a series of collaborations with his daughter Jessica including Half a Pig and a pop-up set of anarchic variations on the tale of Goldilocks.

Belinda Ioni Rasmussen, CEO of Walker Books Group, which published some of his books, said: “He was enormously playful in spirit and language and had the ability to make you smile in one sentence.

“Allan inspired generations of children’s writers, inspired all of us who worked with him, and inspired artists to make some of their very best work.”

A DRAGON’S Den winner and former Team GB gold medallist fraudulently used Covid loans to buy himself a £1.8million mansion.

Rick Beardsell illegally pocketed £100,000 worth of taxpayers cash to purchase his home – despite receiving a £75,000 investment during his stint on the BBC show.

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The 46-year-old fiddled two Covid Bounce Back loans to buy himself five-bed Holly House in the exclusive village of Prestbury, Cheshire.

Dad-of-two Beardsell was only entitled to apply for one loan worth £50,000, but fraudulently applied for two and greatly exaggerated his annual turnover by up to 23 times.

It came after the world champion sprinter had successfully secured investments from TV Dragons Tej Lalvani and Deborah Meaden for his successful protein shake bottle business, ShakeSphere.

Chester Crown Court heard he applied for the loan to prop up his other company, Sports Creative Ltd, but none of the money went towards the sportswear business.

Prosecutor Geoff Whealan told the court Beardsell made the fraudulent applications to HSBC in December 2020 and then to NatWest in January 2021.

He said: ”The defendant stated on the HSBC form that the turnover of Sports Creative was £485,000 and on the NatWest form said it was £320,000.

“But unaudited financial statements showed turnover for the year end February 2020 was £20,622.

”The turnover was clearly exaggerated to secure the maximum bounce back loan.

“Subsequent transactions showed the bounce back loan funds were not being used for the economic benefit or business purposes of Sports Creative at this time.”

The money arrived in Sports Creative’s account in January 2021, but then almost £400,000 was transferred to Beardsell’s personal Santander account in the space of six months.

Then £431,160.80, including the remaining bounce back loan funds, was transferred to a firm of solicitors for the purchase of Holly House he bought with his wife Ezster.

Mr Whelan added: ”In effect the bounce back loan funds had been used for this purchase.

“It can be inferred from the defendant’s conduct that it was his intention to use the bounce back loans for this purpose at the time he made the application for it.”

Beardsell, who won two World Records for sprinting, faced three years in jail after he admitted two charges of fraud.

In October 2024, he attended an interview under caution at the Insolvency Services offices.

In a statement he said: ”The guidance pertaining to Bounce Back Loans indicated that the proceeds of such loans may be utilised for any purpose that yields a direct benefit to the company.

”At that juncture, I sought professional advice and was advised that such purposes include, but are not limited to, the coverage of overhead expenses or outstanding liabilities, as well as the investment in company assets or property.

“The funds that were transferred to my personal account constituted a director’s loan and other economical overheads for the business.”

Mitigating, his counsel Nichola Cafferkey explained that the loans had been repaid in full to the banks.

She said: ”The loss of his good character is of some significance in respect of a man who has dedicated his life to his family, his professional entities and also his sporting endeavours.

“These offences were out of character and were committed four years ago.

“He has taken responsibility and repaid the money back. He knows that it’s his own fault.

“He has brought shame on his family and brought shame on himself.

”His wife is also his business partner and concerns that they have had about the ability to provide financially for their young children have been significant.”

The court also heard that Beardsell had suffered a series of medical issues both before and after securing the loans.

Ms Cafferkey continued: “A year prior to the submission of the first loan application, the defendant was diagnosed with an aggressive form of testicular cancer and required surgery and extensive chemotherapy.

“The chemotherapy was successful but led to some significant side effects.

”One of those being vertigo, of which he had a severe episode which required hospitalisation and thereafter there are ongoing long-term issues as a result of that.

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“The investigations brought on by the defendant’s own actions has had an impact on his family which has led to a situation where he has been experiencing significant stress over the past few years.

“On top of that there are ongoing knee pains associated with his athletic success at national and international level.

“He has been running a business for many years without issue and it is plain he is extremely remorseful and regretful for his actions.

“The impact on his wife’s physical health in terms of stress and strain has been significant. There has been significant weight loss and insomnia.

“This will be the only time that Richard Beardsell appears before the court.”

Beardsell was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £11,142.70.

Judge Simon Berkson told Beardsell: “You fraudulently lied and lied again in your applications for these loans.

“They were supposed to be for use in keeping your business running but the money was used for your own personal needs and the needs of your family.

“This is not a victimless crime. The government was trying to help struggling businesses at the time of national crisis.

“People were in lock down, people were dying and people were very ill at the time when people required their public services.

“You used fraudulently obtained public funds for your own use, depriving honest people of the scheme’s funds when the country was in crisis.

“You are a generally successful man both in business and in sports, particularly your involvement with athletics.

“You continue to run your business and it was on the TV programme Dragons’ Den.

“You are a married person with two children and they are young children. You have survived an aggressive form of cancer.

“I have concluded that an immediate custodial sentence would have a significant harmful impact on your wife and children.”

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A COMMON sugar substitute used in fizzy drinks, yoghurts and gum could be used to combat one of the deadliest kinds of cancer.

Researchers fermented the zero calorie sweetener and tested it against pancreatic cancer – finding that it killed off malignant cells but didn’t harm healthy ones.

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Stevia is a shrub-like herb used to sweeten drinks and desserts instead of sugar, which can also be bought as powder or tablets.

Previous research has suggested that stevia leaf extracts could have potential “anticancer effects”.

But isolating specific substances within the herb that could help protect against cancer and using them has remained challenging.

Researchers from Hiroshima University suggested fermenting stevia with bacteria can structurally change the extract and produce bioactive metabolites – compounds that can impact living organisms.

Study author Masanori Sugiyama, a professor in the Department of Probiotic Science for Preventive Medicine, said fermentation – or “microbial bio-transformation” – could “enhance the pharmacological efficacy of natural plant extracts” like stevia.

The team tested their theory out against pancreatic cancer cells.

“Pancreatic cancer is a highly malignant tumour of the digestive system with a poor prognosis,” co-author Prof Narandalai Danshiitsoodol said.

“Globally, the incidence and mortality rates of pancreatic cancer continue to rise, with a five-year survival rate of less than 10 per cent.

“The primary reason pancreatic cancer is considered one of the deadliest cancers is its subtle, insidious onset, with most patients being diagnosed at an advanced stage and missing the optimal treatment window.

“Furthermore, pancreatic cancer is highly invasive and prone to metastasis, showing significant resistance to existing treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, resulting in very limited therapeutic efficacy.

“Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify new and effective anticancer compounds, particularly those derived from medicinal plants.”

Researchers used lactic acid bacteria to ferment stevia extracts.

They isolated over 1200 strains from fruits, vegetables, flowers, and medicinal plants and evaluated their health benefits.

They finally landed on Lactobacillus plantarum SN13T strain (FSLE) derived from banana leaves “to enhance the antioxidant and anticancer activities of stevia leaf extract through fermentation”.

They tested fermented and non-fermented stevia extracts against pancreatic cancer cells in lab dishes.

Fermented stevia killed pancreatic cancer cells more efficiently than the non-fermented extract, the study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences found.

This suggested that “the fermentation process enhances the bioactivity of the [stevia] extract”, Prof Sugiyama said.

Researchers tested out different fermentation levels to see which was most effective against cancer cells.

Lower concentrations didn’t kill cancer cells immediately, but they slowed their growth.

Healthy kidney cells were mostly unaffected by the stevia extracts.

Researchers plan to study how fermented stevia affects cancer in mice next, to see how various dosages will work in living organisms.

“The present study has substantially enhanced our understanding of the mechanism of action of the Lactobacillus plantarum SN13T strain in the fermentation of herbal extracts, while also offering a valuable research perspective on the potential application of probiotics as natural anti-tumour agents,” Prof Danshiitsoodol said.

In the UK, about 10,800 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year and 9,600 pass away from it, according to Cancer Research UK.

It’s the fifth most common cause of cancer death.

Since the early 1990s, pancreatic cancer incidence rates have increased by 18 per cent in the UK.

The disease is often diagnosed at a late stage because it frequently lacks noticeable symptoms in the early stages.

Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation can help extend patients’ lives.

A blood test to pick up early signs of pancreatic cancer is being trialled in patients with a recent diagnosis of type 2 diabetes – a known risk factor for the disease.

Meanwhile, researchers at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic have developed a new type of jab to fight pancreatic cancer.

MARRIED At First Sight UK star Laura Vaughan has been left heartbroken following the sudden death of her stepfather after losing her biological dad to cancer.

In an emotional statement posted to social media, Laura, 35, revealed her stepdad Rich also died of cancer and said that the loss had left her family “devastated.”

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“I’ve sat with this for weeks, not knowing how to find the words,” she wrote on Instagram. 

“A few weeks ago, my family lost my stepdad, Rich – very suddenly to cancer. It has left my family devastated.”

Laura, who rose to fame on the reality show in 2023, also opened up about feelings of guilt over not being as close to Rich in recent years. 

She said: “That’s a guilt I will carry with me for the rest of my life and right now, it feels very heavy.”

The reality star also reflected on the loss of her father to cancer years earlier, adding: “Lots of you know that I lost my dad to cancer, the same age as my half-sister is now. 

“It feels as though sometimes, life plays out the most painful patterns.”

Paying tribute to Rich, she added: “He came into my life over 20 years ago and brought light and laughter into our family when we really needed it. 

“I hope that where you are now, you are at peace and out of pain, and that West Ham are winning every match they play!”

Laura ended the post by announcing a temporary break from social media.

She said: “I don’t know how to show up online for you guys at the minute and therefore I am going to take a break. 

“Sometimes this world feels so painful, so I’m sending an enormous amount of love to anyone struggling.”

Laura had a failed love match with tennis coach Arthur Poremba, 38, on MAFS.

She recently opened up to The Sun about her own private battle in a heartbreaking interview – after she was forced to make a terrible decision.

The TV star underwent a heartbreaking medical abortion after unexpectedly finding out she was almost eight months pregnant.

She endured the painful procedure after doctors told her she had been unknowingly putting her unborn foetus at high risk of “extreme” harm and severe birth defects by taking a powerful drug to treat her acne.

The medical abortion in 2016, when she was 26, left Laura struggling to make sense of what had happened. 

“It was very difficult because I went from not thinking I was pregnant to being seven months pregnant to then having a very prolonged abortion and where I was so far gone,” she told The Sun in an exclusive interview.

“Then, when I got home from the procedure, my milk came in, which, as you can imagine, was just really hard to deal with.

“I hunkered down at home for weeks and didn’t talk to anyone.”

Multiple labour attempts

Laura initially thought it was “impossible” when a Clearblue digital pregnancy test revealed she was expecting. 

And she was even more stunned when doctors told her she was in the third trimester.

Although the former finance manager had been suffering from bloating and missed periods, she says she had been told the symptoms were likely caused by a “ruptured cyst”.

She’d gone to see a GP about her symptoms – including bloating and pain in her stomach – but when they looked at her medical records they noticed she’d had a ruptured cyst the year before and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and said that was “likely the cause again”.

They referred Laura for a scan which she kept forgetting to book.

Laura was still able to “squeeze into size 6/8 dresses” while not being aware of her pregnancy, and considered her weight gain to be down to bloating the entire time.

She said: “It was literally the week I decided to test that my stomach popped, and I remember thinking ‘this isn’t right’.”

Recalling the moment the Clearblue test came up with the phrase “2-3 weeks [pregnant]”, Laura, now an influencer, said: “My first thought was ‘that’s impossible’… but then I realised that is how the tests display it, so I could’ve been pregnant for months – and I was.”

Clearblue’s ‘weeks indicator’ test is designed to be reliable in the early stages of pregnancy.

Laura’s shock at her cryptic pregnancy soon turned into an unimaginable ordeal when she learned the strong acne drug she had been taking, isotretinoin, can cause birth defects.

Due to the risk of birth defects to her foetus, Laura was offered a medical abortion – and, with a heavy heart, she accepted it. 

Recalling the hospital procedure itself, she added: “I went for the abortion and I was meant to be in and out within a day and a half but I ended up being in for nearly a week. 

“They could get me to contract but couldn’t get me to full labour, and so I was having contractions and then [they were] stopping.

“It was agony. It was just so awful for my state of mind, too, going into labour multiple times and then nothing.” 

Laura, now in a happy and serious relationship, has been put off having children because she “doesn’t want to be reminded of what happened in 2016”. 

She added: “We spoke about my abortion and he’s the first partner I’ve told about it for a long time.

“He’s been incredibly supportive, and we have discussed having children but neither of us see children in our future.” 

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DIY cervical cancer tests will be sent to women’s homes under NHS plans to boost uptake and help eradicate the disease.

The kits will be posted to those who have ignored or missed their smear test invitation and are therefore “underscreened”.

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They contain a swab to self-sample the cervix for human papillomavirus (HPV), a group of viruses that cause 99 per cent of cervical cancers.

The NHS wants to eliminate the cancer entirely by 2040 using screening and vaccination.

But only 69 per cent of women take part in screening, well below the 80 per cent target.

This means that more than five million women in England are not up to date with their check-ups.

The screening programme saves an estimated 5,000 lives per year in England but the number could be higher with better uptake.

Health chiefs said women may avoid their smear test for fear it will hurt or be embarrassing, or because they struggle to find the time.

The new test is a quick at-home sample that is then sent off to a lab in the post.

Health bosses hope it will help overcome barriers that prevent some women from attending cervical cancer screening appointments.

The initiative will be rolled out in January 2026.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “These self-sampling kits represent healthcare that works around people’s lives, not the other way around.

“They put women firmly in control of their own health, ensuring we catch more cancers at their earliest, most treatable stages.”

“We know the earlier cancer is diagnosed the better the chances are of survival.

“By making screening more convenient, we’re tackling the barriers that keep millions of women from potentially life-saving tests.”

Research has suggested that offering DIY testing kits could boost uptake.

A trial – led by King’s College London in partnership with NHS England – found that offering self-sampling kits to “under-screened” women when they attend their GP practice and by posting kits to women’s homes could boost uptake in England by about 400,000 each year.

The Department of Health and Social Care said that the new programme “specifically targets those groups consistently missing vital appointments” including younger women, those from minority ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ people.

The initiative comes after the UK Health Security Agency revealed that young women in certain parts of England are at higher risk of cervical cancer due to “alarmingly” low uptake of HPV jabs.

At-home cervical cancer screening is part of the government’s upcoming 10 Year Health Plan, due to be published in the coming weeks, which will focus preventing illness instead of only treating it when symptoms appear.

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Eve Appeal chief executive, Athena Lamnisos, said: “There are so many different reasons why those who are eligible aren’t responding to their cervical screening invitation letter.

“HPV self-testing will be a step change for some. Being able to do the test in their own time and following simple instructions is what many people want and need.

“Ensuring that the under-screened and never screened know about this new test is vital for Eve.”

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, added: “We welcome the UK government’s decision to roll out cervical cancer home screening kits in England – to help remove barriers and make cervical screening more accessible.

“The gold standard way to test for HPV is still a sample taken by a clinician and this will be suitable for most people.

“But beating cervical cancer means beating it for everyone, and this move helps to bring us closer to that goal.

“It’s important to remember that cervical screening is for people without symptoms so, if you notice any unusual changes for you, do not wait for a screening invitation – speak to your doctor.”

The NHS Cervical Screening Programme invites women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 for regular screening.

Under current guidelines, people aged 25 to 49 are called back for a check-up every three years if they test negative for HPV, whereas 50 to 64-year-olds are invited for checks every five years.

But from July, people who test negative during an in-person test with their clinician will be invited back after five years, rather than three, following a recommendation by the UK National Screening Committee.

The change comes after evidence showed that people who test negative for HPV are extremely unlikely to develop cervical cancer within the next decade.

Anyone whose sample shows traces of HPV will continue to be invited to more frequent screenings.  

Digital invitations and reminders for cervical screening were also recently rolled out as part of the NHS App’s ‘ping and book’ service to boost uptake.

Cervical cancer symptoms, such as bleeding between periods and during sex, should be investigated by a GP.

Around 13 high-risk types of HPV are known to cause 99.7 per cent of cervical cancers.

They cause cell changes which can eventually turn cancerous.

Dangerous strains of the common virus can also lead to mouth, anal, penile, vulval and vaginal cancer.

A NEW blood test to pick up early signs of a cancer which kills more than half of people within three months of diagnosis is being trialled by UK doctors.

The genomic test uses blood samples to look for markers of the deadly disease, which often has vague symptoms.

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Currently, the UK doesn’t have a national screening programme for pancreatic cancer like it does for breast or bowel cancer. 

A huge issue is the disease is often diagnosed at a late stage because it frequently lacks noticeable symptoms in the early stages. 

But a new pancreatic cancer test is being trialled in patients with a recent diagnosis of type 2 diabetes – a known risk factor for the disease.

People over 50 with a new case of type 2 diabetes have a higher chance of also being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer within three years.

Early data suggests the Avantect test is 68 per cent accurate in picking up people with early stages of the disease, which kills almost 10,000 people every year in the UK.

It’s also 97 per cent accurate in ruling out people without pancreatic cancer.

The new clinical trial has been launched at the Cancer Research UK Southampton Clinical Trials Unit.

Zaed Hamady, consultant surgeon and pancreatic researcher at the University of Southampton, who’s leading the trial, said: “There is currently no targeted early detection or surveillance test for the disease meaning patients are often diagnosed late when they become really unwell.

“If we can develop approaches to detect the cancer sooner, then there are more options we may consider to treat the disease, and patients will have a much better chance of long-term survival.

“Although most people with diabetes will not go on to develop the disease, new onset diabetes is associated with a six to eight-fold increased risk.

“This patient group gives us a way to test how accurate the new diagnostic blood test is, and that could potentially help thousands of people in the future.”

According to researchers, newly-diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients often have similar symptoms as a person with early-stage pancreatic cancer.

This is because the cancer destroys the same insulin-producing cells that are also destroyed in diabetes.

‘Earlier diagnosis would have meant time to make more memories with our children’

Sean Cleghorn’s wife, Allison, discovered she had pancreatic cancer at Christmas 2020 but died four weeks later aged 54.

Mr Cleghorn, a father of three from Kingsclere in Hampshire, said: “The only symptom Allison displayed was some slight indigestion and then she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the autumn of 2020.

“Allison had always eaten healthily, was active and avoided processed food, so this diagnosis was puzzling for us.

“When we learned that new-onset type 2 diabetes was a potential risk factor for pancreatic cancer, we asked for further testing and a scan confirmed she had terminal cancer.

“We hoped she could have chemotherapy to prolong her life, but she became too weak and died four weeks later.

“Perhaps if she had been diagnosed sooner with a test like the one that’s currently being trialled, we may have had time to make more memories with our three children.”

Angelica Cazaly, senior trial manager for the trial, said: “We are asking people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes who are attending GP surgeries or diabetic clinics whether they would like to take part in the study.

“Initially, we will collect blood samples from 800 people for testing.

“The results from the test, together with medical information collected from each patient, will help provide researchers with important information on how best to proceed with the rest of the study that will evaluate how accurate the test is at predicting pancreatic cancer.”

‘Exciting time for early detection research’

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Around 10,500 people in the UK are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer every year and just one in 20 survive the disease for 10 years or more.

Samuel Levy, chief scientific officer of ClearNote Health, said: “Our early data demonstrate that our Avantect test can identify pancreatic cancer in stages I and II.

“We are excited to collaborate with the Cancer Research UK Southampton Clinical Trials Unit and the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust on this transformative study that could redefine how pancreatic cancer is detected and managed for patients at high risk.”

Dr Chris Macdonald, head of research at Pancreatic Cancer UK, said over 80 per cent of people with pancreatic cancer are currently diagnosed too late for treatment.

He added: “This is an exciting time for early detection research, with tests using blood, breath and urine in development which, if shown to be successful in clinical trials, could save thousands of lives every year.

“Early findings from these tests are very promising, but more research is needed to ensure that they are as accurate as possible before they will be available in the GP surgery.”