MP Tracey Crouch on feeling 'very vulnerable' grappling with cancer during Covid pandemic

MP Tracey Crouch has opened up about receiving breast cancer treatment during the coronavirus crisis and how the pandemic has recently made her feel "very vulnerable".

She said reports about surging case rates have made her feel "a bit more anxious" about Covid-19 in the past week, with her cancer diagnosis meaning she's considered vulnerable to the virus.

"At the age of 45, somebody who's still considered young and fit, I'm not used to being vulnerable," she said.

"I keep on having to remind myself that I'm not supposed to go out to the supermarket. It's actually only when I get there and I'm doing my shopping, I suddenly think 'Oh my goodness, I'm not supposed to be out'."

She said she "suddenly felt very vulnerable" this week, "especially with the stories that we're hearing with the statistics locally, of ICU's and everything else".

The former minister, who will have her final chemotherapy session this week, told ITV News podcast Acting Prime Minister her battle with the disease "hasn't all been plain sailing, but certainly it's not been as rough as I know some people go through".

She told podcast host Paul Brand that being diagnosed with cancer during the height of the first coronavirus lockdown was a "shock to the system", but said the NHS hospital that has been treating her in Kent has been "great".

The Tory MP said she's been able to continue working throughout the pandemic, and her four year old son has inspired her to "keep going".

"It's very difficult to not be distracted by his ongoing enthusiasm for everything," she said, adding: "He brings a real reason to live, reasons to stay positive to my own life and my other half's life."

Ms Crouch, who is MP for Chatham & Aylesford, said another thing that's been helping people get through the pandemic is being able to watch elite sports.

She said there's an "element of truth" in claims football is good for the nation's mental health.

"I do think it is important that it continues," she said, adding: "It is 90 minutes of just watching something and being distracted from our other woes that we currently have."

In the podcast, Ms Crouch also reveals she is considering leaving social media platform Twitter.

"I just find that Twitter in particular has become quite a negative place to be," she said.

She said she'd like to use her account to raise awareness about breast cancer, "but beyond that, I'm thinking of coming off it".

Listen to the podcast here: