I had an 88% chance of getting breast cancer, so I took control and had a double mastectomy at 31, reveals Becky Excell

Pushing my meal onto my plate, I sat at the table in the eating disorders unit, lost in misery.

In treating anorexia, this was where I spent my days, returning home in the evening before more therapy sessions and group meals with other sick women.

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If you had told that sad, isolated young woman that one day she would have a career as a food content creator with over 400,000 followers on Instagram, she would have found it ridiculous.

I grew up in Colchester, Essex, and lived with my parents Steve, now 67, and Sue, 63, and my younger brother Charlie, 29. Life was pretty uneventful until I went to study Law at the University of Manchester.

At 18 years old and away from home, family and my boyfriend Mark, now 36 years old, for the first time, I struggled a lot. I was a naturally introverted and quiet teenager and didn’t find it easy to make friends.

I felt alone and insecure, and social media just convinced me that everyone else was having a great time. I felt like I was failing at life and that I didn’t fit in.

I dropped out of college in Manchester and over the years next A few years I enrolled on courses in Sussex and then Essex.

Looking back, I now see how those years of instability and anxiety made me subconsciously search for some way to regain control, which manifested as an eating disorder.

Soon, I began restricting what I ate, followed by massive binges, and exercising obsessively for up to six hours a day. It’s painful to remember how unhappy I was and how worried Mark and my family were about me as I lost more and more weight.

In 2013 – the year I graduated from university – I was diagnosed with anorexia, after my weight plummeted from 11st to 5th, too low for my 5ft 7in height. After that, my recovery began.

I became a day patient in an eating disorders unit, but what really helped were sessions with a psychotherapist and my straight-talking GP, who told me I could be admitted if I didn’t gain weight.

Around that time, when anorexia’s grip on me began to loosen, Mark and I moved in together and I started a blog about going gluten-free. In 2009, I removed gluten from my diet, on the advice of my family doctor, as I suffered from unbearable stomach pains.

Although tests for celiac disease a few months later came back negative—perhaps not surprisingly, given that I had already excluded gluten—I knew how much better I felt without it.

Back then, there were fewer gluten-free options compared to now, so I started creating my own meal recipes, like a “fakeaway” KFC or a katsu curry, and sharing them online. It was good to develop a positive relationship with food again.

As my blog grew, I realized how easy it would be to fall into old habits. I was careful to avoid looking at the calories in the ingredients and tried to keep my thoughts healthy. Additionally, I have been open with my followers about my past. I wasn’t ashamed of it – in fact, I was proud of how far I’d come.

My blog was a hobby while I worked full-time in public relations and marketing. But as my online following grew, I felt torn trying to do both. I worked with brands, spent hours in the kitchen inventing new recipes and earned money from advertising and collaborations.

In 2017, I took a leap of faith to make content creation my career. I was extremely nervous and didn’t tell my parents for six months as I knew they would be worried that I would leave a stable job.

My first cookbook, How to Make Anything Gluten Free, was released in 2021, my social media channels grew, and life was good – until I was hit with a bombshell.

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After a cousin on my father’s side tested positive for the BRCA2 gene mutation – which increases the risk of several types of cancer – my father was also tested. He was told he had the gene, meaning there was a 50% chance I would too.

I knew immediately that I wanted to be tested. If I had an increased risk of developing cancer, I wanted to know and do something about it. After counseling to prepare myself mentally if I tested positive, I discovered I carried the gene.

It’s shocking to know you’re carrying a ticking time bomb. Nothing can prepare you for this. I was told I had an 88% chance of developing breast cancer, as well as being at high risk for ovarian cancer.

After my previous experience of being controlled by an illness, I decided that this time I would be the one in control. So in May 2022 I had a double mastectomy and reconstruction.

Soon, I began restricting what I ate, followed by massive binges, and exercising obsessively for up to six hours a day.

It’s strange being rushed into major surgery when you’re completely fine, knowing your body will change irreversibly, but I felt more empowered than scared. My overwhelming emotion when I recovered was one of relief.

The support I received from my online community really lifted my spirits, and having a stable relationship with a man who loved me no matter what also helped.

That was two years ago, but my BRCA2 journey is not over yet. Doctors said I should have my ovaries removed by 40, which means time is running out if I want to have a family. But it’s not simple – there’s a 50% chance I’ll pass on the BRCA2 gene to my child, and I don’t want to do that, so I’ll need IVF, with my eggs checked before fertilization.

Of course, there are no guarantees that fertility treatment will give us a family.

I have moments of anger because, after everything I’ve been through, I still have this to look forward to, as well as more surgeries that will trigger an early menopause. But there is no point in insisting on it. For now, my focus is on my career.

Last year I won the BBC Food Digital Creator of the Year award. I’m also an ambassador for Celiac UK and I’m launching my sixth cookbook, Gluten Free Air Fryer, next month.

Life is busy and there is pressure as an influencer to always be “on”, which is difficult as I am still a naturally quiet person who prefers nights at home with Mark to showbiz parties.

But when you’ve hit rock bottom – and found your way back – you appreciate every opportunity to live life to the fullest. And I intend to continue doing so.