A This Morning guest was in tears as she shared her remarkable story on Wednesday

A This Morning star was left “so emotional” after saving an ITV viewer’s life. Presenters Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard spoke to 62-year-old Debra Lamb during Wednesday’s (January 21) live broadcast, where she shared an extraordinary story.

Debra had been watching This Morning in 2023 when Dr Nighat Arif discussed crucial information regarding ovarian cancer symptoms.

Recognising she was experiencing similar symptoms to those highlighted during the segment, Debra immediately arranged an appointment with her GP and later received a diagnosis of stage four ovarian cancer. Further tests revealed she carried the BRCA gene, which significantly increases breast cancer risk.

Following Debra’s diagnosis, nine additional family members underwent testing and also carried the gene, including her cousin Sue, who was found to have early-stage breast cancer. Debra’s niece Gemma is now undergoing preventative surgery to reduce her future cancer risk

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A This Morning guest shared their remarkable story(Image: ITV)

“I was just in my living room watching the telly and I saw it come up and thought, ‘Oh.’ My stomach was a bit bloated. I was perfectly healthy, never smoked, never drank,” Debra recounted.

“[Months later], I was having a nine-hour operation to remove all my cancer. It was shocking… [It all happened] so quickly. Watching your programme caught my eye and that was it.”

Cat responded in astonishment: “Isn’t it remarkable that that was the show you caught on that day and you chose to pick up the phone and make that appointment.”

Debra continued: “The surgery was quite touch and go. It was a major, major surgery. They took my spleen, I’m on antibiotics for the rest of my life, but I’m a liver,” with Ben chiming in: “It’s extraordinary, Debra, because you’re sitting there having this surgery. Had you not been watching This Morning, had you not seen Dr Nighat share that really important detail, you might not be here with us now.”

She further revealed: “The doctors said that it was stage four. A few more weeks, months, and it would have been too late.”

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Dr Nighat appeared in the ITV studio(Image: ITV)

In a touching moment, Dr Nighat surprised Debra in the studio, leaving her visibly moved.

“I can’t cope. This is really why we do the health items so importantly on This Morning, and it validates all that medical information we’re seeing in our General Practices because there are viewers [going through the same],” Nighat expressed.

Addressing Dr Nighat directly, an emotional Debra said: “Thank you from me and my family. So many people don’t know about the CA 125 [blood test]. All my friends I told, they were like, ‘What is it?’ They’ve all had the test done and everything. But thank you from my family, my husband who has been my rock. I don’t want to get emotional, but he’s been my rock.”

The doctor responded: “You’re going to make me so emotional.”

Dr Nighat subsequently disclosed that the crucial CA 125 blood test will be made available to women under 40, alongside ultrasound scanning for symptoms potentially indicative of ovarian cancer. Additionally, there’s promising news from Oxford University regarding an ovarian cancer vaccine, which could help prevent future cases.