Nicky Read - my friend in the picture with me - died just before Christmas last year after a nine year fight against breast cancer. She left behind a husband, Ian, and a 4 year old son, Jimmy. She was one of about 12,000 women in the UK who died of the disease in 2014. 

Nicky confronted her cancer with inspirational courage and humour. She wouldn't be intimidated by her illness and I never heard her complain -  but I don't want other women to suffer as I know she did. That's why I'm running for Breast Cancer Now.

This is a battle we can win. Although a woman dies from the disease in the UK every 45 minutes and 50,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, more women are surviving the disease than ever before. And Breast Cancer Now believe that by 2050 everyone who develops breast cancer will beat it - if we all act together now.

Like me, you probably know of at least one person who has or had breast cancer. Let's stop breast cancer taking the women we love.