15 January 2024 , 19:30
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Four years after she first set foot in the Love Island villa, Demi Jones will be returning for a special All-Stars edition of the popular reality show, and she'll be bearing her cancer scars for a very important reason.
Demi, 25, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in May 2021, approximately one year after her first stint in Mallorca, and has gone on to become an advocate for cancer awareness. The Portsmouth-born influencer has thankfully been cancer free for around two years, but still has to attend regularly check-ups to make sure it hasn't returned.
Now body-positive Demi will be helping to raise some much needed awareness about the condition by keeping her scars on show while in her bikini.
The Love Island star has been cancer-free for two years (ITV)
Doctors removed a golf ball sized tumour from Demi's neck (Demi Jones/Instagram)Opening up about her return to the villa, Demi said: "I'm actually so grateful I'm getting this experience again. It's going to be amazing to be an advocate for cancer awareness, and Samie Elishi, who was on winter Love Island last year, she said that she spotted (her) lump (benign tumour) because of me, because she saw my story.
"So that's just one person that's already been on Love Island and the impact it will have if I'm talking about it, or people will see my scar when I'm in my bikini and things like that, and I hope people think."
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Demi received her diagnosis after spotting a red flag symptom - a lump on her neck, which is one of the most of common signs of thyroid cancer. Doctors were able to successfully remove the golf-ball sized tumour, after which she underwent radiotherapy.
The TV personality has previously opened up about her cancer journey, both on social media and in interviews. During a conversation with Shaughna Phillips for Cancer Research's Play Your Part campaign, Demi shared: 'I was so shocked when I was diagnosed with cancer and my first thoughts were "Is this going to kill me? Am I going to be really poorly?"'
She continued: "Thanks to research, I have treatment options and am doing really well. Even though I've got this scar, it's a small price to pay. Now, I can't go a day without people messaging me, saying they've got their lumps checked because of me, they're going for an operation because of my story."
According to the NHS wesite, thyroid cancer is a type of cancer found in the thyroid gland, a small gland at the front, lower part of a person's neck that makes hormones connected with a number of important bodily functions including digestion, muscles, and the heart. Relatively rare in the UK, women are more likely to be affected by thyroid cancer than men, and getting symptoms checked out early can make all the difference.
Common symptoms include a hard lump at the lower part of your neck, at the front, which 'slowly gets bigger and is not painful'. Sufferers may also notice a hoarse or sore throat, difficulties swallowing and breathing, and pain that feels as though 'something is pressing against your neck'. Other symptoms might include, a red, flushed face, softer stools or diarrhoea, unexplained weight loss, and coughing.