A WORCESTER woman is set to take the spotlight in a catwalk show celebrating those affected by breast cancer.
Helga Simeon, 49, will be one of the 23 models at The Show by Breast Cancer Now, a fashion event celebrating strength, style, and stories of those affected by the disease.
The event will be held in London on Thursday (May 15) and hosted by Lisa Snowden, with styling by top celebrity stylist Rebekah Roy.
All models at the event, including 22 women and two men, are living with or beyond breast cancer.
Ms Simeon signed up for the show to raise awareness about breast cancer.
She said: "Because I'm a relatively young black woman, and because I'm a nurse, people don't readily associate cancer with me.
"But cancer is not discriminatory, cancer doesn't care.
"I wanted to join The Show to increase awareness that people like me do get cancer."
Ms Simeon was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 after noticing changes in her left breast and a lump in her armpit.
She said: "As a nurse, I work directly opposite the breast unit, so I was always aware of breast cancer, but getting my own diagnosis still really shocked me.
"As a black woman, there were noticeable disparities in my care, the wigs and prosthetics I was provided with were not suitable for my skin colour, and I had to just make do.
"There was nothing that made me 'feel like me' again.
"I want people of all backgrounds to feel like they have options in their cancer journey, it would be amazing for that change to happen.
"Raising awareness is part of why I signed up for this catwalk."
The Show aims to celebrate the strength and courage of all the models taking to the catwalk for the first time.
This year, the charity is shining a spotlight on breast cancer research, and the impact it can have on the thousands of people diagnosed with breast cancer every year.
To watch The Show online, visit breastcancernow.org/theshowlondon or follow @breastcancernow on Instagram.