Kate will get through this – but the first thing you think of as cancer mum is ‘I can’t leave my kids’, says Sarah Beeny
TELLY cancer survivor Sarah Beeny yesterday praised the Princess of Wales for her “bravery” — and told as a fellow mum of the heartache she will be going through.
Mother of four Sarah said Kate’s moving video message, in which she recalled how she and William took “time to explain everything” to their three young children, brought back memories of her own.
The property expert told The Sun on Sunday: “She is incredible and I know she will get through this.
“But as a mum the first thing you think when you hear the c-word is, ‘My kids need me, I can’t leave my kids.’
“Mine were a little older which made it easier in a way. Kate’s children are too young to fully understand.”
Sarah immediately broke the news to sons Billy, 19, Charlie, 18, Rafferty, 15 and Laurie, 14, after her breast cancer diagnosis in August 2022.
The 52-year-old said: “When I walked in the house Billy, who was 17 at the time, looked at me and was like, ‘Oh my god, what’s wrong — you haven’t got cancer have you?’
“And I said, ‘Well, actually, yeah I have.’
“Charlie, Rafferty and Laurie then all arrived home together, and I was very matter of fact about it.
“I told them, ‘Just so you know, I’ve got breast cancer. But it’s going to be fine, I’ve just got to have some treatment.’
“They all asked me if I was going to be fine and made me promise I wouldn’t die. That’s the thing, it’s all about trust.
“It was scary at times for them and of course they struggled. The truth is when you have cancer your entire family goes through it too.”
Sarah also leaned for support on her husband, artist Graham Swift, 51.
She admitted: “I said to my husband, ‘I don’t have time for you not to be OK. So if you’re not OK can you please go and not be OK with someone else.’”
Like Kate, Sarah made the decision to go public with her diagnosis — and she believes the Princess will be an inspiration.
The poor thing she’s got to do all this in front of the whole world
Sarah on Kate Middleton
Sarah said: “She has dealt with it all with such bravery and grace. She is fabulous. I won’t hear a bad word said against her.
“I felt so terribly sorry for her because she’s in the public eye.
“I have one billionth of that fame that she has and it was still quite overwhelming. My heart goes out to her.
“People were so unbelievably lovely and gorgeous and supportive but it can be a lot and I just thought, ‘The poor thing she’s got to do all this in front of the whole world.’ That’s really hard.
Given the all clear
“But people are so kind and supportive. I hope she knows everyone is behind her.”
Sarah underwent chemotherapy before having a double mastectomy.
She was given the all clear last April.
Despite Sarah’s treatment being full of “ups and downs”, she says Kate can have faith in modern medicine.
She added: “The treatment is amazing. So many people have survived their diagnosis.
“Kate may lose her hair but the wigs you can get are fantastic and not having any hair is fine too.”
Sarah decided to embrace her hair loss thanks to the support of her children.
She recalled: “The very first time I went out with no hair, I was with my kids and said, ‘I’m going to go and pay for petrol without my hat on.’ And they said, ‘Yes mum, go for it!’
“That’s where the kids come in. They give you this strength and support. I was very thankful for them. They were actually very cool, my kids.”
Sarah hopes Kate will also be able to take comfort from George, ten, Charlotte, eight, and Louis, five.
She said: “The children will be a massive support to Kate. She will be OK but it’s a lot for her to go through.
“When they first say those words, ‘You’ve got cancer,’ what you hear is, ‘What kind of coffin would you like?’
Some sort of mystery
“They tell you you’re not going to die but that’s all you can think. So it’s actually all upwards from there.
“Cancer is no longer a death sentence, it can be treated.”
Sarah was just ten when her mum Ann died from the disease at the age of 39.
Her parents took the decision not to tell her or her elder brother Diccon about the diagnosis.
She said: “I didn’t even know she had cancer, she just died one day. And having gone through it with my own children I think honesty is almost always the best option where kids are concerned.
“However complicated it might be, it’s better to tell them the truth than dress it up and have it become some sort of mystery.
“The thing about cancer, we don’t talk about it. We’re all so terrified about it because of things that happened a long time ago to someone we love.”
Sarah now embraces life in the moment.
She said: “Of course, you’re not cured of cancer, you finish your treatment and the doctors say, ‘We hope it won’t come back — good luck and off you go!’
“I try really hard for it to not be the thing that defines me. We could all die tomorrow. I could get run over by a bus.
“All you can do is stay right in the moment — it makes you live for today.”
How other royals have also been rocked by health battles this year
THE past few months have seen members of the royal family struck down by various health battles. Here is a rundown:
JANUARY 16: Kate is admitted to the London Clinic for abdominal surgery.
JAN 17: It is announced that the King is to have treatment for a benign enlarged prostate.
JAN 18: William spends time at Kate’s bedside.
JAN 19: The King flies back from Scotland with the Queen.
JAN 21: It is announced Sarah, Duchess of York, has malignant melanoma, a skin cancer.
JAN 23: Kate’s hospital stay passes one week.
JAN 26: The King is admitted to the London Clinic for treatment.
JAN 29: The King is discharged from hospital. Kate leaves the same day.
JAN 31: Queen Camilla announces that the King is “getting on, doing his best”.
FEBRUARY 5: Buckingham Palace announces the King has cancer, but not of the prostate, and will not carry out public-facing duties.
FEB 18: The King appears in good spirits as he attends a Sunday church service in the grounds of Sandringham.
FEB 23: The King filmed crying and chuckling while opening some of the 7,000 cards from well-wishers.
FEB 27: Prince William pulls out of service last-minute due to ‘personal matter’, sparking wave of unfounded conspiracy theories about Kate’s health.
MARCH 4: Kate Middleton pictured in the car with mum Carole on the Windsor estate