Maura Higgins underwent a critical health screening this week and urged her fans to do the same, reports claim. The 33-year-old, who shot to fame on Love Island in 2019, shared that she had been for a routine smear test - a vital check-up for cervix health.
Posting to Instagram, she said: "Smear test day! This is your important reminder to get yours (praying hands)'," according to MailOnline. Women aged between 25 and 64 are invited by the NHS to go for cervix screenings every couple of years.
As part of these tests, medical professionals look for certain types of 'human papillomavirus (HPV)' - a common group of viruses that have the potential trigger changes in your cervix, being the neck of the uterus. In the worst cases, these viruses may allow genital warts or cancer to develop.
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WireImage)Find out about the symptoms you need to watch out for and get health advice with our free health newsletter from the Mirror
"Cervical screening checks the health of your cervix and helps find any abnormal changes before they can turn into cancer," the NHS explains. "It's not a test for cancer, it's a test to help prevent cancer.
"Cervical screening checks a sample of cells from your cervix for certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV). These types of HPV can cause abnormal changes to the cells in your cervix and are called 'high risk' types of HPV.
"If high risk types of HPV are found during screening, the sample of cells is also checked for abnormal cell changes. If abnormal cells are found, they can be treated so they do not get a chance to turn into cervical cancer."
The fresh alert comes as Maura is tipped to be part of the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here 2024 line-up, alongside Tulisa from X Factor fame and 'WAGatha Christie's' Coleen Rooney. A source reportedly told the Sun that Maura was deemed 'perfect' for the show after fellow reality star, Tommy Fury, dropped out.
"With Tommy Fury pulling out it gave show bosses the opportunity to look at other Love Island stars and Maura stood out as the perfect candidate," they said. "She'll bringing a bit of glamour to the jungle and make a brilliant campmate because she's got a great sense of humour and is bound to get on with everyone.
"It's shaping up to be a strong year for women on I'm A Celebrity this year."
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SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)Who is at risk of cervical cancer?
The NHS claims that anyone with a cervix may be at risk of cancer if they've had 'any kind of sexual contact'. This includes:
- Vaginal, oral or anal sex
- Any skin-to-skin contact of the genital area
- Sharing sex toys
This even applies in the following cases:
- You have only ever had one sexual partner or you've had the same partner for a long time
- You are lesbian or bisexual
- You are a trans man with a cervix
- You have received the HPV vaccine
- You have undergone a partial hysterectomy that did not remove all of your cervix
For more information, head to the NHS website.
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