Virginia Wade: Over 70s should still be aware of the signs of breast cancer

Virginia Wade is behind a campaign to encourage over 70s to be more aware of the signs

TOO many older women think they don't have to worry about breast cancer.

 

Having recently celebrated her 70th birthday, tennis legend Virginia Wade has turned her attention to a breast cancer campaign which encourages older women to be more aware of the warning signs and see their doctor if they suspect there is a problem.

“Don’t assume you are past it,” she warns, something which cannot be said of the former Wimbledon champion.

It comes just weeks after Express.co.uk put together a list of nine items that can help YOU prevent cancer. 

These days Virginia divides her time between homes in the UK and America. She is a regular commentator for the BBC and other networks, is in demand as a motivational speaker, supports a string of charities and still manages to squeeze in at least one game of tennis every week.

It’s almost 40 years since she won Wimbledon in 1977, becoming the last British woman to raise the Venus Rosewater Dish and Virginia says: “I still love the game. My knees aren’t very good but they are better than they were.”

Known for her distinctive mid-Atlantic tones, Virginia can still hit hard off the court, once calling Andy Murray a “drama queen” and in the course of our chat she describes Australian bad boy Nick Kyrgios as “totally out of control”.

She is equally direct when talking about health. “I think it’s important to listen to your body and do what you can. Getting older is a learning process,” she says.

However, recent research has revealed that women of her generation still have a lot to learn about the dangers of breast cancer.

A survey for the Be Clear on Cancer campaign found that 48 per cent of women over 70 could only name one symptom of breast cancer, a lump, which means they were at risk of ignoring other red flag symptoms.