WHEN Louise Butcher had a double mastectomy after her breast cancer diagnosis, she declined reconstructive surgery.
Instead, the 51-year-old went on to become the first woman to run the topless in 2024 – and she’s going to do it again this year.
“There’s beauty in these scars... They saved my life,”; she said. “Why would I want to hide them?”;
Louise lays her scars bare to help end the stigma of having flat closure surgery after , rather than breast reconstruction.
The mum-of-two was told she had , a type that originates in the milk-producing glands within the breast, in April 2022.
The diagnosis came just three weeks after she was given the all-clear from a private mammogram.
She discovered a lump deep in her left breast quickly after the mammogram and raised the alarm with her GP, who sent her for an ultrasound scan.
This scan is what picked up the form of she had, which is sometimes missed by mammograms.
Louise was told she needed a double mastectomy – and knowing she didn’t want to have implants to reconstruct her boobs, she opted for flat closure surgery.
Not one to hide away or let insecurities take hold of her, she spent six months coming to terms with her new body – and then started flaunting it.
She began running topless around her home area in as a way to accept her appearance and show others that mastectomy scars are nothing to be ashamed of.
“This is what I’m about,”; she shared during an inspiring interview on today’s episode of .
“It’s about being your authentic self and owning your scars.
“There’s beauty in these scars... They saved my life!
“Why would I want to hide them?”;
Louise described her first topless London Marathon last year as “magical”; and said women were crying due to the “empowerment”; of seeing a lady embrace her scars.
“They were cheering and there was no pity there,”; she recalled. “Because you can’t pity someone running a marathon, can you?”;
People have flocked to social media to praise her resilience and positivity.
“What an amazing woman! Amazing! So empowering,”; Gem Marshall wrote on Instagram.
“What a beautiful, incredible woman,”; actress Catherine Tyldesley echoed.
“What an amazing lady,”; Sheila Rayner added. “She is so dignified and inspirational.”;
