The Hour

2009 was a fantastic year to be a showbiz reporter. Working for stv.tv, I got to report on some of the biggest entertainment phenomena of our time. The rise of Blackburn’s Susan Boyle - I could easily sit in the big black Mastermind chair with a chosen subject of "the life and times of Su-Bo" and wipe the floor with the other contestants.

Then of course there was the arduous task of becoming obsessed with Twilight, purely for research purposes of course. I spent many a day scouring the internet for the latest updates on Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart and writing about their are they/aren’t they ‘relationship’. I knew R-Patt's every move like a crazed obsessed fan and of course had the gruelling task of sourcing pictures and facts about the young, mildly attractive vampire.

On September 16th 2009, however, the lovely bubble of glamour, glitz and grime came crashing to a halt. A much more serious issue became the story of the day… I was diagnosed with cancer. Leukaemia to be precise.

A day after interviewing stunning X Factor winner Alexandra Burke and discussing pressing issues such as which was the best nail varnish to wear that season, I was kicked back to earth with an almighty Doc Marten up the backside.

I would say I’ll spare you the details as to how the diagnosis came about but there really aren’t many. I felt a little tired but I thought that was down to late nights writing about yet another cringe-worthy X Factor audition. I felt a little weak but the past few weeks had been hectic with trips to Blackburn to take a tour of Susan Boyle landmarks and articles on New Moon coming thick and fast.

I ventured to the doctor expecting him to tell me to take it easy or at the very most give me an antibiotic to get rid of some nasty bug. Instead a blood test flagged up something much worse. I had become a victim of the ‘big C’.

From that moment my life changed forever – sounds dramatic but true. I really felt like I was living in a dream world and not the nice kind of dream world Alexandra had been telling me about the day before. No, Simon Cowell was not going to be buying me a Chanel bag for my birthday. My initial thought was, would I even make it to my birthday?

Leukaemia? But how? I felt OK. I wasn’t in great pain or covered in the bruises I associated with the disease. I couldn’t have leukaemia. I am the bubbly girl who loves nothing more than writing juicy stories about celebs and then throwing herself around stage as over the top front-woman on electro pop band Pooch.

But I do have it. A host of tests including the dreaded bone-marrow removal confirmed this. At this point I would like to apologise to the doctor and nurse involved in the bone marrow removal procedure. I developed a vocabulary that wouldn’t have been out of place on an episode of Shameless during the brief but painful test.

The next few months were a blur filled with hospital trips, questions, get well soon cards, sympathy calls and texts. It may sound shocking but it is almost like you are the living dead. People hear the word cancer or leukaemia and immediately think you are living on borrowed time. And why not? That was my first reaction too.

My second reaction was, "Am I going to lose my hair?" It sounds vain and ridiculous but suddenly my hair became so important. It’s always a host of crazy colours and a big part of me – was I going to lose it? Would I be brave enough to rock the bald look like Jade Goody, whose period of illness and indeed funeral I had written about? Or could I get away with sporting some Lady Gaga style wig – if it’s good enough for Gaga?

But I didn’t have to worry. The most wonderful team of doctors at the Beatson Oncology centre in Glasgow put my mind at rest and revealed that I would be on a revolutionary drug called Glivec which should control the leukaemia cells. There is a chance that in seven years my wonder drugs will actually have kicked the Big C to the kerb and I will go into remission.

Of course, there are always concerns. Chances my body won’t respond to the drugs. Chances that the cancer may become more aggressive and there is of course the possibility that I may eventually need a transplant. But I hope that is a long way off.

And so after the initial months of shock, fear, dread and tears, I have learned to accept that my body is playing host to some very naughty cells who just have to be put in their place. I feel good again and apart from the odd puffy eye day and sleep becoming my social activity of choice for a Friday and Saturday night, I can finally say I am getting back to normal.

I have no qualms about talking or indeed writing about my illness. Yes it is scary but I am living with cancer, not dying from it. It’s now a part of me and something I won’t let rule my life.

After being a lady who lunches for the past few months, I am now back in my seat at STV writing about Su-Bo’s Valentines Day plans and dishing the dirt on Taylor Lautner’s 18th birthday party. Although such celeb trivia may seem insignificant, I owe something to the likes of Pattinson, Boyle and Ms Katie Reid – or Price as you may have known her. They have given me something to focus on, a little bit of escapism from the world where everything else has been focused on being ill.

And I am far from ill just now. Last week I was able to return to the stage and played to a sell out crowd at King Tuts supporting the fabulous Chew Lips.

I fully intend to live to the full now and amongst work and gigging, I am going to be organising charity events and generally having the time of my life – I realise how important that is now.

I will continue to interview and write about the stars. In fact this Friday I am lucky enough to be catching up with the Strictly dancers which will be a fun and no doubt sequenced filled event. Bring on the next series of Britain’s Got Talent, I’m ready. And as for X Factor, well, maybe I should audition! And as well as reporting from the world of entertainment you will also be able to follow my story though my weekly blog. Laura, living with leukaemia – that’s just what I am going to do.