Hollyoaks star Jazmine Franks says she feared the worst upon hearing mum's cancer diagnosis

Former Hollyoaks actress Jazmine Franks said she 'instantly thought the worst' when she heard her mum had been diagnosed with bowel cancer. The soap star said the thought of losing her was 'not something she wanted to deal with at 18'.

Now, at the age of 32, Jazmine has spoken out about the time of uncertainty. "I think as soon as somebody says the word 'cancer' you instantly think the worst," she told the Mirror during the Dirty Protest, held in Manchester in aid of Bowel Cancer Awareness month.

She continued: "We went through it a little bit, we came out the other end, she's all clear now, has been for quite a few years. I think your initial reaction is losing someone close to you, you start thinking about life without them and that's not something I wanted to deal with at 18."

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At the time of the diagnosis, Jazmine was still playing Esther Bloom on Hollyoaks - and she's previously praised bosses for letting her take time off to be alongside her mum, Lesley. Although Lesley responded well to treatment, Jazmine said "what came after was more serious".

Lesley was fitted with a colostomy bag and around 12 months later, had the operation to reverse it. However there were complications that resulted in her being placed a on a tube to feed her and she remained in hospital for a long period of time.

Jazmine, who welcomed her first child last year, admitted her perspective on life had dramatically changed now. She said: "My view has changed on everything. I will go and get everything checked, the slightest little thing because now I've got someone who relies on me. Growing up, you always think it'll never happen to you but now because I'm a mum, I'm like the slightest thing I will go and get checked."

The mum-of-one has now teamed up with Pall Mall Medical to raise awareness of the bowel cancer, which has the second highest mortality rate after lung cancer, with around 17,000 losing their lives to the disease each year. Shedding light on the symptoms people should watch out for, she said: "I think the main thing is blood in your poo, weight loss that you can't explain, any change in bowel habits, it's better to go and get checked and find out its nothing obscure than let it fester, it's better to catch it early than end up with something that you can ultimately lose your life to."

If caught early, bowel cancer can be treatable, however a recent survey by the health clinic revealed that one in two Brits have not attended a bowel screaming which had been offered to them. Dr Chun Tang, who lost his father 15 years ago and has a brother who was diagnosed with the same illness, said: "This year we are going bigger and harder, pushing the message out that talking about bowel habits and being aware of the symptoms of bowel cancer could save your life. A quarter of the nation admit to being too embarrassed to talk about poo habits or concerns something is not quite right. That's why we are encouraging people to be open and honest when it comes to toilet talk and educating on what to look out for."