Thousands of Brits rush to check cancer symptoms after Kate Middleton's diagnosis

Kate Middleton's bravery in opening up about her cancer diagnosis has inspired Brits to find out more about their own health, according to health bosses.

The NHS and charities have said Kate's openness about her illness could help save lives by helping to raise awareness of the signs of cancer. The Princess of Wales announced last week she received the diagnosis after undergoing 'major abdominal surgery' in January.

After Kate released a video message opening up about her chemotherapy, the number of people visiting the NHS website for information on cancer was up nearly five times on the week before, reports the Mirror.

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NHS England's cancer boss, Prof Peter Johnson, said: "The Princess of Wales bravely speaking out about her diagnosis will help others do the same. Thanks to this, we have seen a spike in people visiting vital information on our site about signs and symptoms. Talking about cancer saves lives if it encourages people to come forward sooner if things aren't right."

There was also a huge surge in views on the NHS cancer symptoms page, with 4,172 visits in the three hours after Kate’s video announcement on Friday – about one every three seconds – up from 1,922 in the previous week. Macmillan Cancer Support said traffic to its support pages was the highest it had been at a weekend since the first lockdown in March 2020, with close to 100,000 visits by the end of Sunday – a 10% increase on the same period last year.

Gemma Peters, Chief Executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “In sharing her news the Princess of Wales has raised awareness... and will be helping to encourage others who have concerns, to visit their GP and