Victoria Derbyshire says cancer battle has made her re-think about paying towards her future
BBC journalist Victoria Derbyshire has revealed she slashed her pension contributions after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
The 48-year-old presenter said she didn't know how long she was going to live for, so she wanted to "live for now".
Four months after she began fronting her current affairs programme, Victoria was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2015.
In a candid interview, she recalls telling her partner Mark Sandell to "sell the house" if she died - because she went into "practical mode".
Miss Derbyshire said: "I remember sitting with Mark at the kitchen table and saying: 'We need to talk about this.
"'If I die, you're going to have to sell this house... sell the house, downsize, the kids can still go to the same schools'."
Fearing "this was really it", the mum-of-two told her radio producer partner that they should get married.
But he replied: "I think marriage is overrated".
Around the same time, the 48-year-old cancelled her mortgage protection cover at work saying she felt "sick of paying it".
At her latest check-up, docs told her "there is no evidence of cancer", but warned there's an 11 per cent chance it could recur.
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Recalling her difficult experience, she remembers the evening she noticed a problem with her right breast.
She said: "I knew that it wasn't good, I absolutely though, this means I am going to die."
She feared that she may not "see the kids grow up" which felt "suffocating and oppressive."
Victoria filmed a series of cancer diaries, most of which captured her at her hospital bed, and one recorded straight after she had a mastectomy.
In one inspiring video, she said that hair loss was her biggest struggle - before announcing that it was time to ditch the wig.
Later this month, she will publish a book on her diaries.