{"id":508004,"date":"2026-04-02T00:22:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T00:22:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/508004\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T00:22:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T00:22:16","slug":"i-had-my-womb-ovaries-and-a-breast-removed-a-tummy-tuck-botox-and-veneers-i-feel-like-the-bionic-woman-for-the-first-time-the-duchess-of-rutland-lays-bare-her-battle-with-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/508004\/","title":{"rendered":"I had my womb, ovaries and a breast removed, a tummy tuck, Botox and veneers… I feel like The Bionic Woman: For the first time, the DUCHESS OF RUTLAND lays bare her battle with cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Emma\u00a0Manners is enormously excited: her eldest daughter Violet is pregnant with her first child, and the Duchess of Rutland is going to be a grandmother for the first time. It is a precious gift for the chatelaine of Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire, who once feared she would not live long enough to see her daughter tie the knot with her husband, the Scottish Viscount William Lindesay-Bethune, let alone have children.<\/p>\n

On July 25, 2024, the day after hosting a lavish celebration for her youngest son Hugo\u2019s 21st birthday, Emma (then aged 60) was given a diagnosis of breast cancer<\/a>. There then followed a year of almost constant bad news, with one arduous procedure following another and a series of surgeries that tested even this famously stoical grande dame.<\/p>\n

Now, having undergone both a mastectomy and hysterectomy, the Duchess can at last look forward to a happier, if noisier, future with a new baby in the family.<\/p>\n

Speaking from Belvoir Castle, which she runs with her partner Phil Burtt \u2013 the castle\u2019s former estates manager\u00a0\u2013 and her estranged husband David, 11th Duke of Rutland, she says: \u2018I feel like it\u2019s the end of one chapter in my life and the beginning of a new one.<\/p>\n

\u2018I can\u2019t wait to set up a nursery for the next generation of the family. It\u2019s a wonderful and special time for us all.’<\/p>\n

Certainly, Emma, now 62, who has five children \u2013 Violet, 32, Alice, 30, Eliza, 28, Charles, 26, and Hugo, 22\u00a0\u2013 is in a more upbeat mood since we last spoke in the midst of her treatment.<\/p>\n

\"Emma <\/p>\n

Emma Manners, the Duchess of Rutland, is famously stoical \u2013 but even she was tested by a year of frequent bad news and arduous surgeries. (Pictured at home in Belvoir Castle)<\/p>\n

It is now 18 months since Emma sat opposite consultant oncologist Monika Kaushik, in the Spire Hospital in Nottingham, to be given the news she had breast cancer. \u2018A month or so earlier, I\u2019d discovered a lump in my left breast,\u2019 she says. \u2018I\u2019d thought nothing much of it. Maybe it was a pimple, cyst or similar. I remember waking up and feeling a niggling sensation and thinking: “What is that?” But it didn\u2019t hurt. When I mentioned it to my partner Phil, he said: \u201cI\u2019m sure it\u2019s nothing to worry about.\u201d So, I put it out of my mind until after Hugo\u2019s birthday party.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019d foolishly missed my last mammogram so booked another at the Spire Hospital. Phil kindly offered to join me, and I was happy for him to come along. But I wasn\u2019t overly concerned. It was just a routine appointment. Until I heard the words: \u201cI think there\u2019s something that\u2019s not right here. You have a shadow on your left breast.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018We were immediately ushered in to see the consultant. As we sat opposite her desk, she asked how I\u2019d like to be addressed. \u201cOh Emma,\u201d I blurted out. \u201cWell, Emma,\u201d she said. \u201cI have to tell you that you have breast cancer. You will need to do a biopsy \u2013 we have found three areas.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n

Known as the \u2018accidental duchess\u2019\u00a0\u2013 because she was born the daughter of a Welsh farmer and had no idea David Manners was heir to a dukedom when they met \u2013 Emma is now CEO of the busy commercial and events management business that is Belvoir. She is famously down to earth and ferociously well-organised\u00a0\u2013 yet here was a problem she could not immediately solve.<\/p>\n

\u2018At that moment, everything stopped, as it must do for so many people diagnosed with any life-threatening illness,\u2019 she says. \u2018I partly felt I was acting in slow motion. But, at the same time, my mind was on fire. The thoughts came thick and fast: \u201cCan we fix this? What can I do right now? Who can I chat to?”<\/p>\n

\u2018Then came the deeper considerations. I\u2019d committed myself to bringing up my children until my youngest was 21, and I had achieved that goal literally the day before. A mother\u2019s greatest fear is losing her life when her children are in the process of growing up. So, I couldn\u2019t have asked for more \u2013 life didn\u2019t owe me a penny.<\/p>\n

\u2018Yet I still thought: \u201cI\u2019m only 60. I\u2019ve got a bit of living left to do. I want to see my children get married and have their own children.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n

After her diagnosis, Emma threw herself into an endless treadmill of hospital appointments. She talks openly about intimate medical detail in order to show the realities of treatment for a cancer that will affect one in seven UK women.<\/p>\n

First of all, for example, before any other drugs or surgery could start, she had to have her HRT implant and coil removed. The former is a slow-release oestrogen pellet, usually placed beneath the skin of the stomach or buttock, and the latter releases progesterone to protect the lining of the womb.<\/p>\n

In fact, Emma blames the combined form of HRT for her cancer \u2013 a belief reinforced by her long-time friend, the GP Dr Sarah Myhill, whose treatments for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome\/ME, it should be said, have proved controversial in the past.\u00a0(Few nowadays dispute a link between the combined form of HRT and breast cancer, though most doctors say the risk is low, and even lower when taking bio-identical as opposed to synthetic forms of HRT).<\/p>\n

\"Emma <\/p>\n

Emma partly blames the combined form of HRT for her breast cancer, although most doctors say the risk is low. (Pictured in hospital)<\/p>\n

\u2018I was having an awful time with the menopause,\u2019 she explains. \u2018I had a terrible sleep pattern and dreadful night sweats. My gynaecologist discussed the option of gel or implants. \u201cThe implant is better for me, otherwise I\u2019ll forget to take it,\u201d I said. Now I wish I had never been put on it. Not only did I get breast cancer, but from the moment they removed [the coil], the bleeding wouldn\u2019t stop, which left me juggling cancer while also needing a hysterectomy.\u2019<\/p>\n

Once off the HRT, Emma had a biopsy \u2013 a fine needle was injected into her breast without an anaesthetic to take a tissue sample to find out whether the two other nodules were cancerous \u2013 and an MRI scan. \u2018The biopsy was the most painful of all my procedures,\u2019 she says. \u2018I bled for five days.\u2019<\/p>\n

At this stage, she still hadn\u2019t told her children, and in fact was under-playing the situation to protect them. \u2018Vi had just got engaged to William, and we had invited his family down from Scotland for the weekend to meet my clan. It was a magical weekend, and I didn\u2019t want my news to overshadow the festivities.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019d mentioned the mammogram to my youngest daughter, Eliza, who was studying in New York. When she called to ask how it went, I told her a white lie because I didn\u2019t want to worry her unnecessarily.<\/p>\n

\u2018It was a difficult decision, but I think it\u2019s important to try to protect your children, especially when they\u2019re on the other side of the world.\u2019<\/p>\n

After getting the results of the biopsy and scan, Monika decided that Emma would need a mastectomy: although the other two lumps were benign, the cancerous tumour was 2.5cm and fast-growing. Emma\u2019s reaction was typically matter-of-fact. \u2018For some reason, I had no fear,\u2019 she says. \u2018I said \u201cLet\u2019s get on with it.\u201d Actually, I remember clearly asking Monika: \u201cCan you fit me in next week and get the replacement done the following week?\u201d How naive I was!\u2019<\/p>\n

The operation took place on September 3, 2024, a day after her 61st birthday. \u2018I finally told the family, individually, just before,\u2019 she says. \u2018Eliza was understandably upset that I had kept the truth from her, so I said: \u201cOK, that\u2019s it. I\u2019ll set up a WhatsApp family group, and everybody will find out everything at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Emma <\/p>\n

Emma was diagnosed with cancer after her son Hugo\u2019s 21st birthday party, but under-played the situation to her family, saying, ‘I think it\u2019s important to try to protect your children’<\/p>\n

Cancer of course cares nothing for titles, money or privilege, and now the family was facing what so many others do: the serious illness of the woman who held it all together. The mastectomy would not include an immediate reconstruction \u2013 that would happen later, using flesh from her abdomen.<\/p>\n

And at first all went well.<\/p>\n

\u2018I was in theatre for hours and hours. As I came to after the operation, I remained in a meditative state for nearly five hours. Nurses came and went, but I just continued in a calm trance. Of course, it may have been the drugs but, honestly, it felt like the start of a new beginning.\u2019<\/p>\n

In mid-September, she was given the news she was praying for\u00a0\u2013 and slips into a characteristically mischievous anecdote…<\/p>\n

\u2018\u201cIt hasn\u2019t gone into your lymph nodes,\u201d Monika told me. \u201cGood,\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u201cYou will need radiotherapy,\u201d she said. \u201cGood, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018\u201cYou may need chemo. They need to do more tests.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018\u201cIs that good?\u201d I asked. \u201cYes,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u201cWhen can I have the reconstructive surgery?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot for a year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn. No new boobs and tummy tuck for Vi\u2019s wedding.\u201d We all collapsed in uncontrollable laughter.\u2019<\/p>\n

But Emma was still not out of the woods. The following day, she had a biopsy of the womb to investigate the continued bleeding and discovered she needed a hysterectomy to stop it.<\/p>\n

\u2018The next day was the killer,\u2019 she recalls. \u2018When I got home, the only thing left was to sob. I never had a problem with breeding. The problem was stopping breeding.\u2019<\/p>\n

With a series of iron infusions under her belt, Emma went into the Spire Hospital in January last year to have her hysterectomy. The two-hour operation was done by keyhole surgery. \u2018I felt very emotional afterwards,\u2019 she admits. \u2018I didn\u2019t really know who I was any more. I don\u2019t feel that now. You have to move on.<\/p>\n

\u2018Having had five children, I knew my womb had well and truly completed its job. But I had this longing to save it. I had no idea where this came from until I was introduced to a fascinating spiritual teacher called Collette Corcoran, who explained that the loss of a womb can feel profoundly devastating as it holds the deeper feminine intelligence and the intuition of a woman.<\/p>\n

\u2018Losing it touches a woman\u2019s emotional, symbolic and ancestral body knowledge and power.\u2019<\/p>\n

Despite her endless hospital visits, Emma decided to undergo another, rather less vital procedure \u2013 this time, veneers on her teeth. Crazily, in retrospect, she did it the day before Violet\u2019s wedding, which took place at Belvoir Castle last June.<\/p>\n

\u2018When people mentioned that I was the mother of the bride, it sent me into a wet sweat,\u2019 she explains. \u2018So, I had everything pumped and pummelled before the wedding. I had Botox for the first time in my life, and microneedling to make my skin more youthful. I then thought: \u201cI\u2019m going to get some decent teeth.\u201d God knows why. The children say it\u2019s so ridiculous, and I couldn\u2019t speak properly on the wedding day itself.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Emma <\/p>\n

Emma went through more procedures the day before her daughter Violet’s wedding, including veneers and microneedling. (Pictured: The newlyweds, Violet and William, in June last year)<\/p>\n

\"Belvoir <\/p>\n

Belvoir Castle is at a wonderful stage, says Emma, who has been there for 25 years and has plans to open a wellness centre. But the duchess admits, ‘I need to stop pushing myself’<\/p>\n

She then made another \u2018discovery\u2019 \u2013 one that does not necessarily bear much scientific scrutiny but illustrates her inimitable spirit. \u2018I\u2019ve since found out that when you die, the veneers fall off, and you have these horrible black fangs. So I\u2019ve decided I want to be cremated now. That will solve that problem.\u2019<\/p>\n

She did not need chemotherapy, but had ten days of radiotherapy. Having been told she would need to be on the medication Letrozole for the next five years \u2013 a drug used in post-menopausal women to stop hormone-sensitive breast cancer returning \u2013 finally, it was time for her reconstruction operation.<\/p>\n

She went into London\u2019s Harley Street Clinic on July 15 last year and spent a week in recovery before she was allowed to go home. The ten-hour operation was conducted by consultant plastic surgeon Stuart James, who also operated on Sarah Ferguson, rebuilding Emma\u2019s breast with flesh from her stomach.<\/p>\n

\u2018He was a wonderful red-headed Welshman,\u2019 she says. \u2018He listened to heavy metal music when he was doing my surgery. As I came out, he said: \u201cI think it\u2019s a brilliant job,\u201d and I said: \u201cI\u2019ve no idea. I won\u2019t be looking at it for a long time.”<\/p>\n

\u2018I felt so dreadful coming out of that operation. I really felt my body had been pushed from pillar to post.<\/p>\n

\u2018I guess I was looking a bit wiped out. I\u2019d gone in looking really chirpy, but I came out of it thinking: \u201cI have such respect for any woman on this planet who has cosmetic surgery because they want a tummy tuck or because they want new boobs \u2013 because it\u2019s so painful.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n

With it all in the past, she can at last reflect on what it\u2019s taught her about her own mortality.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m like The Bionic Woman. I\u2019ve had my womb removed, my ovaries removed, a breast implant and tummy tuck. I\u2019m on this drug Letrozole for the next five years.<\/p>\n

\u2018Cancer has definitely changed my outlook. I\u2019ve got a wonderful team [at Belvoir Castle] and I need to stop pushing myself and micro-managing everyone.\u2019<\/p>\n

She has been at the castle for 25 years and in that time seen its commercial arm expand from weddings to ranges of furniture, shooting parties to mineral waters and country wear \u2013 with plans afoot for a wellness centre.<\/p>\n

\u2018Belvoir is at this wonderful stage,\u2019 she says, before adding surprisingly: \u2018In some ways, I\u2019ve held it back. I have to get the right team to help it really find its wings and fly. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any limit because we\u2019ve got a worldwide brand. We are very closely involved with the community and want to build on that. You\u2019ve only got to look at France or Russia to see what happens if aristocracy loses touch with the community.\u2019<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a characteristically dry comment \u2013 and yet clearly pragmatic too.<\/p>\n

For now, she is looking forward only to changing nappies, though others are not. \u2018The person who is really nervous about it of course is Phil, who has done his very best to avoid changing nappies for his own grandchildren\u00a0\u2013 he certainly didn\u2019t do his own children,\u2019 she laughs. \u2018And to be absolutely clear, the Duke didn\u2019t take to it either!\u2019<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all change at Belvoir then \u2013 perhaps at the highest levels of management as well as in the nursery. But whatever happens, you can guarantee the accidental duchess will be at the heart of it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Emma\u00a0Manners is enormously excited: her eldest daughter Violet is pregnant with her first child, and the Duchess of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":508005,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[97,96,59,655,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-508004","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-dailymail","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-gb","11":"tag-lifestyle","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/508004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=508004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/508004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/508005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=508004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=508004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=508004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}