Darren Pallett talks how ‘Lorraine’s Change + Check’ saved his life

Today on Lorraine, Christine Lampard was joined in the studio by the first man to have been helped by Lorraine’s Change + Check campaign, Darren Pallett, and his wife Fiona after she found a lump in Darren’s breast back in 2023. 

Opening up about his diagnosis and how he first found out about his breast cancer, Darren said: “She [Fiona] found it on the Sunday [a lump], I was at my doctors Tuesday, hospital Thursday and had a full mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy. Two weeks later, my results said I had stage two invasive ductal cancer and my surgeon said, ‘You’re booked in for a month’s time on the 1st August for a full left mastectomy, no ifs or buts.'” 

Speaking to Marti Pellow about his story, he added: “I said it’s probably a cyst, you know what us men are like… Men can get breast cancer! I work in a male dominated world of heavy goods vehicles and most of the men here… All I’ll say is they swore at me first. They said ‘men can’t get that!’.” 

Explaining how it was Lorraine’s Change + Check campaign which encouraged Darren to seek medical advice, his wife Fiona said: “Because I had seen the campaign year after year – I just thought, ‘No, if it doesn’t move [the lump], they’ve said that you need to get it checked’. Adding: “I did start to try and convince myself that it was just going to be a cyst but in the back of my mind, I really felt like there was something not right.” 

Last weekend Darren completed a charity motorbike ride from John O’Groats to Lands End to raise awareness of male breast cancer. Whilst sharing his story along the way, he explained how people were “gobsmacked” as they “just didn’t understand” men could also get breast cancer.

Also joining Darren and Fiona on the sofa was Dr Hilary, who said: “There are about 375 men every year [that get diagnosed with breast cancer]. So one a day compared to one every 10 minutes for women. It’s not as common in men but it happens in men. Every man has a bit of breast tissue and every man has a little bit of oestrogen in their body which can stimulate this kind of cancer. Men still need to be aware.” 

Teasing if he is going to join the Change + Check choir, who recently reached number one in the Official Downloads Charts for their new single ‘Love is All Around’ with Marti Pellow, Fiona revealed: “We’ve been together for nearly 42 years now and he sent me a video of him singing and I honestly thought it was dubbed and he was miming.” 

The new single, ‘Love is All Around 2024’ is now available to download and buy on all major platforms with proceeds donated to Future Dreams Breast Cancer Charity. https://slinky.to/LoveIsAllAround

Lorraine’s Change+Check campaign encourages individuals to check themselves, and be aware of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, encouraging them to seek medical advice if they notice any changes. Early detection can significantly improve treatment outcomes and save lives.

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