Reality star's mum thought she had food poisoning but turned out she had cancer
Bravo star Michelle Saniei has opened up about the death of her mother, who had been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer just a number of months before she died
A reality star has revealed her mum initially thought she had food poisoning but was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. Michelle Saniei, who stars on The Valley, opened up about her mother's death during the latest episode of the show.
Her mum had visited the GP with symptoms she initially believed were caused by food poisoning, but in a heartbreaking twist, she later discovered she had cancer. The episode, which airs on Bravo, was filmed in the summer of 2024, with her mum sadly dying just months later in November.
During a conversation with her co-star, Lala Kent, Michelle said she doesn't speak about her mum's diagnosis "a lot." Speaking to Lala, she said: "My mom got sick about a year ago when I was going through everything with Jesse [Lally].
"She thought she had food poisoning and had to go to the doctor, and she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer." In an emotional admission, she went on to add: "She did her first treatment of chemo, and it did not work.
"So then now she's in her second treatment, but the problem is it's kind of everywhere now. She's just like by day, it's killing her from the inside out. I don't think I have much longer with her. It's been very hard for me because my mom is my best friend and the one who supports me the most," before she started to tear up."
The NHS states that bowel cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer people in the UK are diagnosed with. Most people who are diagnosed tend to be over the age of 60. Symptoms include changes in poo – such as softer poo, constipation or diarrhoea, needing to poo more or less often, blood in poo, tummy pains, bloating or losing weight without trying.
While it is not known what causes the cancer, people are more likely to be diagnosed if they are over 50, smoke, are overweight or have inflammatory bowel disease, as well as small growths on the bowel. Treatment varies depending on the size of the cancer, whether it is in the colon or rectum, if it has spread and age.
Surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted medicines are used to treat the disease. Michelle's mum sadly died on November 5, 2024, just months after her diagnosis. Taking to Instagram on Tuesday to honour her mum as the episode aired, Michelle shared a series of images of herself with her mum.
Captioning her post, she wrote: "Sharing my heart with you tonight. This was the first time I spoke on camera about my mom's battle with cancer. She's no longer with us, but her love and strength are with me every day.
"I miss her deeply, and I'm grateful to share a little piece of her with you. Tonight is for you, Mom. I miss you every day." Her upload was flooded with messages of support, with Nia Sanchez replying: "Sending you extra love tonight."
Scheana Shay added: "I love you soooo much! Your mama is so proud of you and always watching over you! You look so much like her in the second pic!" Aaron Nosler gushed: "It was an honour to get to know her, and so special that she saw our relationship take shape and become full of love. She surrounds you still and shows you signs."
Vivian Tesler said: "I lost my mother to cancer 2 years ago. We are about the same age as you and I. There is not one day I don't think about her. How I understand your words and heart. Sending you strength. We are in this together." One fan commented: "Right now im watching the new episode & thanks for sharing her with us, those pictures are really beautiful, your mom will always be watching over you & your daughter Isabella."
The emotional episode also gave fans an insight into Michelle's life as she continues to navigate her life following her divorce from Jesse Lally, which aired in the second season.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
19 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Women's Prize for Fiction ‘greatest honour' as an intersex woman, says winner
Dutch author Yael van der Wouden won the accolade for her debut novel, The Safekeep, and used her winner's speech to champion the trans community, who have 'changed the system' and 'fought for health care'. The book, which explores repressed desire and the unresolved aftermath of the Holocaust in post-Second World War Netherlands, was described as an 'astonishing debut' by the head of the judges. The ceremony, held in central London on Thursday, saw the non-fiction prize awarded to physician Dr Rachel Clarke for The Story Of A Heart, which explores the human experience behind organ donation. In her winner's speech, after thanking the judges, van der Wouden said: 'I was a girl until I turned 13, and then, as I hit puberty, all that was supposed to happen did not quite happen. 'And if it did happen, it happened too much, and all at once my girlhood became an uncertain fact. 'I won't thrill you too much with the specifics, but the long and the short of it is that, hormonally, I'm intersex. 'This little fact defined my life throughout my teens, until I advocated for the health care that I needed. 'The surgery and the hormones that I needed, which not all intersex people need. Not all intersex people feel at odds with their gender presentation. 'I mention the fact that I did, because in the few precious moments here on stage, I am receiving, truly, the greatest honour of my life as a woman, presenting to you as a woman, and accepting this Women's Prize. Aria Aber, Miranda July, Nussaibah Younis, Elizabeth Strout, Sanam Mahloudji and Yael van der Wouden at the ceremony (Ian West Media Assignments/PA) 'And that is because of every single trans person who's fought for health care, who changed the system, the law, societal standards, themselves. I stand on their shoulders.' The NHS website says intersex, or differences in sex development (DSD), is a group of rare conditions involving genes, hormones and reproductive organs that mean a person's sex development is different to most. In contrast, people who are transgender identify as a gender separate to the sex they were born in and sometimes go through gender-affirming surgery. Van der Wouden's novel follows Isabel, a young woman whose life in solitude is upended when her brother's girlfriend Eva comes to live in their family house in what turns into a summer of obsession, suspicion and desire. The chairwoman of the judges for the fiction prize, writer Kit de Waal, said: 'This astonishing debut is a classic in the making, a story to be loved and appreciated for generations to come. Books like this don't come along every day.' Van der Wouden will receive £30,000 and a limited-edition bronze statuette known as the Bessie, which was created and donated by artist Grizel Niven. Rachel Clarke won the non-fiction prize (Ian West Media Assignments/PA) The judging panel for the Women's Prize for Fiction included novelist and journalist Diana Evans, author and journalist Bryony Gordon, writer and magazine editor Deborah Joseph, and musician and composer Amelia Warner. Clarke said she has 'literally been a feminist since I was too young to know what that word even meant', as she collected her award. The physician's book recounts two family stories, documenting how medical staff take care of nine-year-old Kiera in her final hours after a car accident, while offering a new life to nine-year-old Max who is suffering from heart failure from a viral infection. Clarke, who is behind the books Breathtaking and Your Life In My Hands: A Junior Doctor's Story, will receive £30,000 and a limited-edition piece of art known as the Charlotte, both gifted by the Charlotte Aitken Trust. The judging panel for the non-fiction prize included writer and broadcaster Dr Leah Broad, whose work focuses on women's cultural history, and novelist and critic Elizabeth Buchan. Previous winners of the fiction prize include Tayari Jones for An American Marriage and Madeline Miller for The Song Of Achilles, while the first non-fiction prize was awarded last year to Naomi Klein for Doppelganger: A Trip Into The Mirror World. The awards were announced by the Women's Prize Trust, a UK charity that aims to 'create equitable opportunities for women in the world of books and beyond'.
Glasgow Times
21 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Women's Prize for Fiction ‘greatest honour' as an intersex woman, says winner
Dutch author Yael van der Wouden won the accolade for her debut novel, The Safekeep, and used her winner's speech to champion the trans community, who have 'changed the system' and 'fought for health care'. The book, which explores repressed desire and the unresolved aftermath of the Holocaust in post-Second World War Netherlands, was described as an 'astonishing debut' by the head of the judges. The ceremony, held in central London on Thursday, saw the non-fiction prize awarded to physician Dr Rachel Clarke for The Story Of A Heart, which explores the human experience behind organ donation. In her winner's speech, after thanking the judges, van der Wouden said: 'I was a girl until I turned 13, and then, as I hit puberty, all that was supposed to happen did not quite happen. 'And if it did happen, it happened too much, and all at once my girlhood became an uncertain fact. 'I won't thrill you too much with the specifics, but the long and the short of it is that, hormonally, I'm intersex. 'This little fact defined my life throughout my teens, until I advocated for the health care that I needed. 'The surgery and the hormones that I needed, which not all intersex people need. Not all intersex people feel at odds with their gender presentation. 'I mention the fact that I did, because in the few precious moments here on stage, I am receiving, truly, the greatest honour of my life as a woman, presenting to you as a woman, and accepting this Women's Prize. Aria Aber, Miranda July, Nussaibah Younis, Elizabeth Strout, Sanam Mahloudji and Yael van der Wouden at the ceremony (Ian West Media Assignments/PA) 'And that is because of every single trans person who's fought for health care, who changed the system, the law, societal standards, themselves. I stand on their shoulders.' The NHS website says intersex, or differences in sex development (DSD), is a group of rare conditions involving genes, hormones and reproductive organs that mean a person's sex development is different to most. In contrast, people who are transgender identify as a gender separate to the sex they were born in and sometimes go through gender-affirming surgery. Van der Wouden's novel follows Isabel, a young woman whose life in solitude is upended when her brother's girlfriend Eva comes to live in their family house in what turns into a summer of obsession, suspicion and desire. The chairwoman of the judges for the fiction prize, writer Kit de Waal, said: 'This astonishing debut is a classic in the making, a story to be loved and appreciated for generations to come. Books like this don't come along every day.' Van der Wouden will receive £30,000 and a limited-edition bronze statuette known as the Bessie, which was created and donated by artist Grizel Niven. Rachel Clarke won the non-fiction prize (Ian West Media Assignments/PA) The judging panel for the Women's Prize for Fiction included novelist and journalist Diana Evans, author and journalist Bryony Gordon, writer and magazine editor Deborah Joseph, and musician and composer Amelia Warner. Clarke said she has 'literally been a feminist since I was too young to know what that word even meant', as she collected her award. The physician's book recounts two family stories, documenting how medical staff take care of nine-year-old Kiera in her final hours after a car accident, while offering a new life to nine-year-old Max who is suffering from heart failure from a viral infection. Clarke, who is behind the books Breathtaking and Your Life In My Hands: A Junior Doctor's Story, will receive £30,000 and a limited-edition piece of art known as the Charlotte, both gifted by the Charlotte Aitken Trust. The judging panel for the non-fiction prize included writer and broadcaster Dr Leah Broad, whose work focuses on women's cultural history, and novelist and critic Elizabeth Buchan. Previous winners of the fiction prize include Tayari Jones for An American Marriage and Madeline Miller for The Song Of Achilles, while the first non-fiction prize was awarded last year to Naomi Klein for Doppelganger: A Trip Into The Mirror World. The awards were announced by the Women's Prize Trust, a UK charity that aims to 'create equitable opportunities for women in the world of books and beyond'.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Weight-loss drugs could become as common as statins, says England's top doctor
Weight-loss jabs could eventually be doled out like statins, England's top doctor has said. Prof Sir Stephen Powis, medical director of the NHS, said the health service should consider the mass rollout of medication to 'turn the tide' on Britain's obesity crisis. The NHS has been criticised for tightly rationing the jabs, having drawn up a plan for a 12-year rollout. GPs in England will start prescribing the injections from this month, but only to those with severe obesity and at least one weight-related health problem. Until now, jabs have only been available via specialist services with long waiting lists. However, NHS pilot schemes will look at ways to roll them out far more widely, including offering jabs through the post, from online pharmacies. Statins are one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the UK, with about eight million people taking them to cut their chance of a heart attack and stroke. An estimated 1.5 million people are taking weight-loss jabs in the UK, with the vast majority paying for them privately, at around £200 a month. 'Exciting milestone' Speaking at the NHS ConfedExpo conference in Manchester, Sir Stephen hailed the rollout in GP surgeries as an 'exciting milestone' and said NHS officials are also examining ways to ' broaden access to the drugs '. Around 29 per cent of adults in the UK are obese. Sir Stephen said: 'Right now, obesity is estimated to cost the NHS approximately £11.4 billion every year – this financial burden is unsustainable for the NHS and wider economy. 'We have to turn the tide. We have to and will go further, and faster. 'In just a few years from now, some of today's weight-loss drugs will be available at much lower cost. This could completely transform access to these innovative treatments. 'But we will and must be guided by the evidence base and must do this safely and sustainably, in a way that ensures that we are equipped as a health service to deal with the demand.' 'We'll learn how to deploy them better' Sir Stephen said that the 'exciting new class of medication' would see wider rollout in the same way that statins had been rolled out en masse. 'There will be more drugs coming on the market. There will be different prices for drugs. We will get to generics, which means that prices will fall,' he said. 'We have been through this over statins, and the use of statins is now very different from when they first came out, and I've no doubt that will be the same for these drugs. So it's very exciting.' The senior doctor said research suggesting they can prevent and treat multiple diseases, including heart and kidney disease, also meant they were like statins. 'It's highly likely that they will become more widespread, the evidence base will increase. We will learn better how to deploy them,' he said.
