Lisa Riley has described herself as a ‘self-confessed control freak’ as she revealed the reason why she has chosen not to undergo genetic testing for breast cancer. 

The Emmerdale actress, 48, lost her mother Cath to secondary breast cancer in 2012 when she was just 58 years old. 

Since then, Lisa has become an ambᴀssador for research and support charity, Breast Cancer Now, however the star has made the decision not to have genetic testing for the disease. 

Speaking in an emotional interview for the Breast Cancer Now podcast with host Laura Price, who is living with incurable secondary breast cancer, Lisa said: ‘I’m a self-confessed control freak…’

Explaining why she hasn’t had the test she continued: ‘[Being tested] is something I am in control of. I don’t want that to be in control of me.

‘I live for today. That’s exactly how I live my life. Because no one in any which way, shape or form, knows what’s happening to them. Live for now. And I don’t want to know.’

Lisa Riley has admitted she’s ‘a self-confessed control freak’ as she revealed why she has chosen not to undergo genetic testing for breast cancer 

The Emmerdale actress, 48, lost her mother Cath to secondary breast cancer in 2012 when she was just 58 years old as she admitted her death left her in a ‘horrible place’ 

Around 5-10% of women with breast cancer carry an inherited altered gene, of which the BRCA 1 and 2 genes are most common. 

An inherited altered BRCA gene, often known as the ‘Jolie gene’, can increase your risk of developing certain types of cancers, including breast cancer, and both women and men can inherit it.  

Lisa’s involvement with breast cancer has also fed into her work after her Emmerdale character Mandy Dingle was involved in a poignant storyline last year after she was told she may carry an altered BRCA gene.

While Lisa hasn’t undergone genetic testing, she spoke openly about choosing to have self-elected mammograms and the anxiety she experiences surrounding this.

While her most recent mammogram results came back clear, Lisa recalled: ‘It was my mammogram number three, and my head was playing games with me. And I was like, this is the one, third time.

‘I started saying third time not so lucky. That’s what kind of planted in my head.’

After Lisa’s mum pᴀssed away in 2012 Lisa competed on Strictly Come Dancing that year alongside late professional dancer Robin Windsor.

Sharing the emotional challenges she faced when the show came to an end, Lisa said: ‘Every week on Strictly, I went out there and I was like “I’m doing this for you mum”, so what better therapy than doing Strictly. 

Speaking in an emotional interview for Breast Cancer Now with podcast host Laura Price, Lisa said: ‘[Being tested] is something I am in control of. I don’t want that to be in control of me’

She added: ‘I live for today. That’s exactly how I live my life. Because no one in any which way, shape or form, knows what’s happening to them. Live for now. And I don’t want to know’

Lisa’s Emmerdale character Mandy Dingle was involved in a poignant storyline when she was told she may carry an altered BRCA gene 

After Lisa’s mum pᴀssed away in 2012 Lisa competed on Strictly Come Dancing that year alongside late professional dancer Robin Windsor 

Read More Lisa Riley proves there’s no hard feelings with Peter Kay as she attends his comedy show

‘But then Strictly ended in the February after I’d done the tour and that’s when there was no way out for me.

‘I didn’t have a job to go onto as I thought I needed a rest, but in hindsight I should have stayed on that train. To take the late February and the March off was really dangerous for me, and I went to a really horrible place.’

She added: ‘The bubble of Strictly had popped. My dad was on the Strictly train with me, my brother was, it was a plaster for all of us. 

‘But then, my dad was a broken man. My brother keeps everything inside. I’m a leader….that’s who I am. And yet I stopped looking after me, and that was a mistake.’

Encouraging women to regularly check themselves and speak to their GP if they notice any changes, Lisa said: ‘Don’t keep your head in the sand.  

‘Don’t, with any form of cancer, be an ostrich because that extra three months could save your life.’

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?

What is breast cancer?

It comes from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.

When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue it is called ‘invasive’. Some people are diagnosed with ‘carcinoma in situ’, where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.

Most cases develop in those over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare.

Staging indicates how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.

The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.

What causes breast cancer?

A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply ‘out of control’.

Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics.

What are the symptoms of breast cancer?

The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid filled cysts, which are benign. 

The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.

How is breast cancer diagnosed?

Initial ᴀssessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammography, a special x-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours.Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.

If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to ᴀssess if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest X-ray.

How is breast cancer treated?

Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments are used.

Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour.Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying.Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the ‘female’ hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.

How successful is treatment?

The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure.

The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71 means more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.

For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call its free helpline on 0808 800 6000