Panellist Brenda Edwards put aside her body insecurities to walk the catwalk in a swimsuit in Thursday's episode of Loose Women. The 45-year-old had been photographed as part of the show's 'Body Stories' campaign in her swimwear and decided to surprise her co-stars and viewers by appearing in her swimsuit live on the show, accompanied by a selection of women.
To celebrate the TV show's 20th birthday, Brenda took part in an "uplifting and liberating" shoot. "It was about empowerment and being strong and loving my body," said Brenda. Referring to her own previous insecurities, she added: "After I had Jamal, I came out with loads of stretch marks all across my stomach. That made me immediately shy away from showing anything to do with my body."
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She also explained that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, which lead to a mastectomy, followed by a breast reconstruction.
"I'm actually quite happy with how it looks now," she revealed. "This is what I'm about, if you don't like it, tough, I don't really care. I'm grateful that my body got me through cancer – this my body and I'm embracing me as much as I can."
Body Stories is a campaign that Loose Women launched in 2017, that saw nine members of the panel stripping off for a shoot to encourage other women to feel confident in their own skin.
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Brenda revealed that she watched the campaign unfold on the show from home. "I was at home and I was watching – before I was a Loose Woman. I loved the campaign and found it very inspiring – the photograph that you ladies took was amazing."
