Sarah Ferguson Opens Up About Her 'New Normal' Following Double Cancer Diagnosis: 'I'm Very Lucky'

The Duchess of York, 64, was diagnosed with both breast and skin cancer within the past year

Sarah Ferguson wants people to get themselves tested amid her own cancer journey.

During an appearance on Wednesday, June 5's episode of the U.K. news program Good Morning Britain, Ferguson, 64, spoke about being diagnosed with malignant melanoma earlier this year following a diagnosis with an early form of breast cancer last summer.

As host Susanna Reid, 53, asked the Duchess of York how she's doing, she said it's taken 64 years of questioning herself to get to the place she's at now.

"I've waited 64 years, does it take huge scars for me to wake up and just like myself right now? That's my big thing... all these years I've been thinking 'Am I good enough? Am I this? Am I that? Do I get it right?' " Ferguson, popularly known as Fergie, shared.

Related: Sarah Ferguson Says Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie Know She'll 'Tell It to Them Straight' About Cancer

In June 2023, a spokesperson for the Duchess of York announced she'd undergone a successful single mastectomy amid her breast cancer diagnosis.

Fergie added of her "new normal" on GMB, "Suddenly now with [a] mastectomy and then with malignant melanoma... of course, every single day, it's not a wake up call, now it's a new normal. You can never say you're cancer-free, but you can say that 'I'm doing well, and I'm very lucky.' "

Stressing the importance of getting tested and getting mammograms, Fergie urged, "Don't be frightened," adding that she didn't want an MRI in an enclosed space, so got an injection at the Royal Free Hospital in London instead.

"I didn't have a lump, I had the splat," she joked, comparing it to a paintball "splat."

"They had to move very quickly," she said.

"Then I looked up what it is to have a mastectomy, then I freaked," Fergie added of getting in her car after her appointment.

When it came to managing her mental health amid the diagnoses, Fergie — who has been promoting her new book A Woman of Intrigue — said she "threw" herself into writing and doing other things to keep herself busy.

Related: Princess Beatrice Shares Upbeat Update on Mom Sarah Ferguson's Health Following Cancer Diagnoses

Since the start of this year, King Charles, 75, and Kate Middleton, 42, have also announced their own cancer diagnoses.

While speaking to PEOPLE at the 2024 amfAR Gala, held each year during the Cannes Film Festival, last month, the Duchess of York opened up about family togetherness when asked if she's been able to offer support to the King and Princess of Wales.

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"I think family unity is key… I think the key to life is that we all support each other," she said.

"Also forgiveness is a great thing. I think forgiveness of yourself, and forgiveness of others," the Duchess added.

She told PEOPLE she was feeling well after navigating two cancer diagnoses in the last year. "I think that we've managed to get cancer in the right place rather than cancer ruling me. I've put cancer in the corner," Ferguson said.

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Read the original article on People.