The Traitors contestant with life threatening illness missed this common sign of cancer before diagnosis
With the latest season of the hit BBC show The Traitors gripping the nation, one of this year's contestants has bravely spoken out about her life-threatening illness. Among the 25 contestants on this year's show was Livi Dean who had a compelling and scary story to tell about her cancer diagnosis and the common signs she overlooked in the years before.
The 26-year-old revealed her health issue began at just 12 years old when her vision began to go slightly blurry, causing her to eventually go on a trip to the opticians for what she thought was a trip for some glasses. She also noted a black dot had always been in her line of sight but had never thought anything of it.
Speaking to The Telegraph before she went on the show she said: "Ironically, there was a problem with my eyes, though I’d never clocked that things weren’t totally normal. For as long as I could remember there was this big black 'floater' in my vision in my right eye. Because it had always been there, I’d thought that other people must have one as well."
READ MORE: Why Love Island stars wear sunglasses in bed - reason behind villa look explained
READ MORE: Netflix's number one show leaves fans fuming over 'unnecessary' ending that ruins '10/10' series
Her optician was quick to spot the mass and identified it as a retinoblastoma, a rare type of cancer that can affect young children but in most cases under three years old. She was then sent to Great Ormond Street Hospital where she almost immediately began chemotherapy.
Livi was the oldest person in the UK to ever have been diagnosed with the cancer, She added: "Specsavers saved my life. I know now, had I not gone for that check-up I would have died."
Talking about her adversities during chemotherapy, Livi recalled the toughest part was not the treatment itself but the loss of her hair with kids at the school picking on her. She recalled how they called her a boy and made fun of her bald patches after her hair began to fall out as a result of the treatment.
READ MORE: Netflix's Celebrity Bear Hunt trailer sparks backlash as viewers question one aspect
READ MORE: Real life net worths of Nosferatu cast including Lily-Rose Depp and Bill Skarsgard
However, the now-murdered Traitors star found solace after she was gifted a wig by the Little Princess Trust that "saved" her self-esteem. Despite the doctor's best efforts, her several bouts of chemotherapy several weren't successful, and after a relapse decided to remove her eye.
Despite wearing the prosthetic in most of the show she feels most like herself without her prosthetic eye, evident in one powerful clip that showed her without it, noting that people often mistake it for a lazy eye.
Her life took another turn in 2022 when after sharing her story online and on social media she was discovered by model, presenter and acid attack survivor Katie Piper, who helped launch her career in the modelling industry.
With her help, Livi signed up for a modelling agency and has appeared in several high-profile magazines including Vogue, before releasing a book about her story in September 2024.