Lynne McGranger and AFL great Leigh Matthews join bowel cancer screening campaign

Aussie TV star Lynne McGranger has revealed why she regrets ignoring an important cancer test for years and what prompted her to do it.

Home and Away star Lynne McGranger has revealed she is deeply ashamed of tossing out her free bowel cancer screening kits for over a decade.

And she said it was her daughter’s upcoming wedding and a history of cancer on her father’s side of the family that finally drove her to take the test late last year.

“I’m not proud of that. But I am proud of the fact that I was 69, it was the end of last year, and I thought I better do it,” McGranger said.

“My daughter’s about to get married and we are so excited for that and what the future holds for them and, you know, just life to live. We’re living longer. So let’s embrace that and join the club of people living longer”.

Home and Away actress Lynne McGranger and AFL Legend Leigh Matthews (pictured) join forces for the new Cancer Council + Dept of Health bowel cancer screening campaign. Picture: Supplied

McGranger joins former AFL star Leigh Matthews in a new advertising campaign urging Australians aged over 50 to Get2it and participate in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP).

Matthews said he has completed every test he was sent.

“I believe if I’ve got a problem, I want to know about it because I might be able fix it. It’s very simple. Maybe it’s my football background has led me to that. It’s such a simple thing to do,” he said.

Australians aged 50-74 are sent a free bowel cancer screening test in the mail every two years but two thirds of people never complete it and participation rates have been dropping from 43.8 per cent in 2019–2020 to 40.9 per cent in 2020–2021.

Bowel cancer is Australia’s second deadliest cancer, claiming over 5,300 lives each year but 90 per cent of cases can be successfully treated if they are caught early.

If Australia can lift participation rates to 60 per cent it’s estimated we can save 84,000 lives by 2040.

McGranger said her test was negative for bowel cancer but since she completed it a friend’s sister has been diagnosed with bowel cancer.

“My dad passed away with cancer and his family was riddled with it. Dad’s was oesophageal, he also had skin cancer on the head and lung cancer,” she said.

“Most of the people that I know who have had it didn’t do the test,” she said.

Home and Away actress Lynne McGranger is urging Aussies to do their bowel cancer screening test. Picture: Supplied

Many people put off the test because of the “ick” factor but getting the sample is really not so bad, McGranger said.

“Anything you’re afraid of you build it up, you build it up to be some sort of ogreish thing and at the end of the day, it is not icky at all. It’s so simple and basic”.

Matthews said “let’s face it we’re all going to go to the toilet”.

“All you do is use a little cotton bud to get the sample, put it in the container. That’s it, then you flush the toilet. It just an absolute nothing thing to have a peace of mind,” he said.

Cancer Council Australia CEO, Professor Tanya Buchanan said: “We want Australians to continue to enjoy life to the full after they turn 50.”

“Staying on top of preventive health screening, including bowel screening, is one of the best ways to ensure you stick around to enjoy the special milestone moments life has to offer,” she said.

Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler said Australians who receive the kit in the mail should not delay.

“Doing the test as soon as you get it could save your life,” he said.