Nobody should ever find themselves in this unthinkable position'

Real Housewives Of Cheshire's Nermina Pieters-Mekic shares her agony at being diagnosed with cancer while pregnant

Despite feeling emotionally and physically drained as she undergoes gruelling treatment for breast cancer, former Real Housewives Of Cheshire star Nermina Pieters-Mekic wants to share her story in the hope it might “save a life”.

The model and equestrian recently made the brave decision to announce on her social media that she had been diagnosed with early-stage aggressive breast cancer at just 33 years old, after finding a lump in her left breast. Speaking exclusively to OK!, she now feels comfortable enough to reveal that she was the very early stages of pregnancy at the time.

“I was pregnant when I found out I had cancer, it broke my heart we couldn’t keep the baby – nobody should ever find themselves in that unthinkable position,” she says. “One night when I couldn’t sleep I sat in Alaya’s nursery. I looked at her height chart on the wall, and thought, ‘What if I’m not here to witness this in a few years? What if I don’t see her grow up?’ They couldn’t do all the checks [cancer tests] because I was pregnant so I kept thinking, ‘I’ll never forgive myself for not seeing Alaya grow up.’”

Her initial heartfelt Instagram announcement of her diagnosis quickly received 14,000 likes and comments wishing her well, and is what prompted today’s poignant family photoshoot with her West Bromwich Albion footballer husband Erik, 35, adorable two-year-old Alaya, and their family dog Blue.

Nermina, who joined the Cheshire reality show in 2017, is grateful for the chance to get her message heard – and she needs people to listen.