Fife woman survives breast cancer and sepsis to join Strictly’s Emma Willis on fundraising trek

Lorraine Bidgood, from Leuchars, will join 120 other fundraisers and celebrities including team captain, Emma Willis, the newly announced host of BBC’s Strictly, in the mammoth trek which starts on Sunday.

Lorraine, 55, is doing the walk in aid of CoppaFeel, UK’s only youth-focused breast cancer awareness charity.

It comes three years after she faced a life-changing diagnosis that led to major surgery.

Her challenges didn’t stop there as complications arose when she developed sepsis. Surrounded by love and support from her husband, Ally, children Conar, Aine and Aoife, family, and close friends, Lorraine navigated the difficult journey to her recovery.

Fully recovered, she is now ready to share her story to uplift others, raise awareness, and generate charity funding.

Thanks to publicity campaigns from CoppaFeel and Breast Cancer Care, Lorraine knew that she needed to seek medical advice when she noticed changes in her breasts.

"I have always been fairly healthy, active and fit, having served for almost 40 years with the Air Cadet Organisation as a cadet and a commissioned officer, playing and umpiring netball and enjoying cycling around Fife and Tayside, so it was a bolt out of the blue to be diagnosed with breast cancer,” she said.

"For a long time, I kept my diagnosis a secret. Many people knew I was in the hospital but were unaware of the reason and the severity of my situation. I wasn’t ready to open up, battling my own fears and uncertainties.

“However, I’m now ready to share my journey, not just for myself, but for others who might be facing similar battles."

As she turned 55 this year, Lorraine decided to challenge herself in new and exciting ways. She’s set a personal goal to do one new thing each month, whether that’s getting a tattoo, learning to play the tin whistle or embarking on a girls' holiday.

This June, she will take on a significant challenge - a five-day trek along the breathtaking Jurassic Coast in England.

The trek involves over 120 fundraisers along with four celebrities - Emma, plus Candice Brown (Great British Bake Off), Laura Anderson (Love Island) and presenter and podcaster Jackie Adedeji. It symbolises her commitment to recovery and her passion for educating young people about their bodies.

But this trek isn’t just a personal accomplishment, it’s part of a mission to raise funds for CoppaFeel - a charity organisation dedicated to preventing late-stage breast cancer diagnosis particularly in women under 30.

"I chose this charity because I have two daughters myself,” said Lorraine. “I have always wanted to participate in a sponsored trek like this. Supporting such a wonderful charity and the incredible work they do is amazing.

“We don’t choose to be in the cancer club, and I want to help others while connecting with those who have shared similar experiences. We all know someone affected by breast cancer, and it’s crucial to encourage regular self-checks and prompt visits to the GP if something doesn’t feel right."

Lorraine initially aimed to raise £2,500 but she has already smashed that target and has now raised over £3,600 - and there is still time to donate.

“I would love to push that target over the £4,000 point so that the charity can use those donations to help promote breast cancer prevention and treatment through early diagnosis.”

Training for the trek has gone well, with Lorraine having completed over 600 miles walking including Munros, Fife Coastal path and four miles every lunchtime along the West Sands in all weathers. This is all in addition to netball training, umpiring and fitness classes!

To make a donation, please visit Lorraine;s Just Giving page.