Carol McGiffin back on Loose Women: 'A lot has happened. I had breast cancer, a facelift and am still with Mark!'

CAROL MCGIFFIN RETURNS TO LOOSE WOMEN!

After five years away from the show, Carol came back toLoose Women as a guest panellist. And we were eager to find out what she's been up to - and why now is the right time to return!

On being back on Loose Women'I seriously can’t believe it. It feels really odd. It took a lot of getting here actually. Five years ago last week since I did my last show. A hell of a lot has happened as you may have read. I did Celebrity Big Brother, didn’t win thank god, did alright. Then I got sick, I had breast cancer, I lost my hair and I lost a boob, then I was really ill for about two years getting over it. I sold my flat in London and I bought a house in France, I spend a lot of time in France and then I had a [covers mouth] facelift and then I came back to Loose Women.'

'It’s a lot of things that it’s the right thing to do now. Like I said, I was feeling ill. I wasn’t actually feeling like there was a lot of point in doing a lot of stuff. When you have cancer, and a lot of people have, and you recover, you have to wait five years before they give you the all clear but even then, there’s no guarantees.

'In my head for about two years I kept thinking, ‘It’s going to come back tomorrow so what’s the point? I might as well not work so then I can just have a good time.’ I just couldn’t plan doing anything. I was convinced, it was at the front of my mind, that it was going to come back and that was going to be that. It hasn’t come back so I’ve had to go back to work, which is a really good thing actually. I’m really pleased to be here. I’m really nervous which is odd because I did over a 1000 shows.'

On her recent facelift'I only had it three weeks ago. So if you’re looking at me thinking I look a bit strange, or a bit younger than I did last week, I probably do.'

On her cancer diagnosis and treatment 'It was early 2014 [I was diagnosed just after Celebrity Big Brother]. It took about two years really to get that out of my system because it was pretty brutal. Then last year I lost my sister to cancer, which was horrible and really sad. Another bad year. My other sister, she lost her partner as well [to cancer].'

On being with Mark for 10 years 'A lot of good things have happened. I’m still with Mark [Cassidy], can you believe. He’s been absolutely unbelievable. He is amazing. He’s still with me. I’m a nightmare anyway. I don’t how he puts up with me, seriously.'I’m a nightmare. He’s a saint, he really is. He’s not perfect, everyone keeps telling me he’s perfect. I don’t want perfect. We’re still madly in love. It’s great. 10 years next month.'

On having reconstructive surgery'No, not yet. That’s another thing to do now I can plan ahead. I never stopped living, I was enjoying myself and having a good time, I wasn’t anywhere near depressed not in a terrible place or anything, it was just that niggling thing, ‘It’s going to come back, what’s the point?’ Now, that [reconstruction] is on the cards, that’s coming up this year.'It’s all part of feeling normal I suppose. And not feeling normal, after you’ve had all that, you don’t know what normal is anymore. The more things you can do to make yourself feel normal, I did something to my face and I’m pleased and I’m happy, it was to make myself feel better about myself looking in the mirror and everything. I’ll get that [points to her breast] back, which will be great because I’ll be able to walk around with really no clothes on again, which will be good, for me, not for anyone else. Good for me, good for Mark.'

Watch the videos to see Carol's return to the show - and her best bits from the past!