LOOSE Women star Brenda Edwards has opened up about the moment she found a lump before being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Brenda, 55, spoke candidly about the challenges she’s faced since discovering the pea-sized mass in her right breast in 2016.
Initially, she pushed it to the back of her mind, as her busy role as Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray: The Musical kept her preoccupied.
However, while showering one day, she noticed the lump once more.
Brenda went on to undergo multiple rounds of chemotherapy over six months, as well as a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.
Despite these hurdles, X Factor star has maintained a positive outlook, discussing the support she has received from her family, friends, and fans in a new interview.
She also detailed the physical and emotional toll of the illness and its treatment, but credited her loved ones as a crucial element in her fight against cancer.
Brenda told OK! Magazine: “When I first felt it, it was what I can only describe as a frozen pea.
“But this time it was more prominent. I immediately phoned my doctor and she referred me to my local hospital to have a mammogram, which then turned into a biopsy, which was really hard and difficult and a very emotional time for me.
“There was so much going on in my head, the first thing at the forefront of my mind was my children and ‘what if?’ I’m usually a positive person, let’s be joyful, you know? And then there was this cloud over me. It was two weeks of waiting [for the results] and that’s the worst two weeks of your life.”
Brenda decided not to inform her late son Jamal or her daughter Tanisha about the lump to avoid causing them unnecessary worry.
She continued: “It was very upsetting. I was already thinking the worst. I asked my doctor if I could record what she was saying and she was fine with that. I just knew I wasn’t going to take in what she was going to tell me.
“And after she said, ‘You’ve got stage three breast cancer,’ nothing else went in. I just thought of my children, ‘I’ve got to tell my children,’” adding that the “colour drained from their faces” as she broke the devastating news.”
Determined to stay strong for them, Brenda focused on maintaining a positive outlook.
Having faced considerable tragedy in her life, with both of her parents passing away when she was young, the singer was determined not to leave her children orphaned and fought on.
Then, in, February 2022, music mogul Jamal died aged 31.
He was declared dead at 10.36am on Sunday, February 20.
Months later, in August 2022, Assistant West London Coroner Ivor Collett ruled that Mr Edwards died after a cardiac arrest brought on by taking cocaine and drinking.
The founder of SBTV had returned to his home in Acton, West London, after 4am following his DJ set in Islington, North London.
Jamal was also known for his charitable services, having set up a series of youth clubs in London communities in 2020.
He was an English music entrepreneur, DJ, and founder of the online music platform SBTV.
The late star received an MBE at the age of 23 for his services to music – and was a Prince’s Trust Ambassador.
Speaking of her son, Brenda said previously: “Jamal was a beautiful and selfless person.
“Since growing up with his family in Acton he made it his personal mission to open doors for others to walk through.
“To help people through life, to love and to laugh. And most importantly, to just make people happy.”
She added: “Jamal helped so many, working tirelessly to give a platform to people.
“His charitable work stretched near and far, from working at homeless shelters to giving back to his roots in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
“We are so proud of everything Jamal achieved over the course of his 31 years and how he impacted others’ lives. We miss him so much.”
