Fashion show in Reading to empower cancer models

A fashion show aiming to boost confidence and celebrate resilience among cancer patients will feature 10 models this year – all of whom are currently receiving treatment.

The event is organised by Wokingham-based charity My Cancer My Choices, which provides free complementary therapies, advice and wellbeing support for people diagnosed with cancer in Berkshire.

It will take place in Reading’s John Lewis and was set to begin at 14:30 BST.

Among the models is Roger Carter, who was treated for prostate cancer last autumn and is now in remission. He continues to receive treatment for multiple myeloma.

“The reality is cancer treatment is quite tough,” said Mr Carter. “You have good days and bad days. All the help and support you can get goes a long way to making it easier.”

Mr Carter received acupuncture, radiotherapy, and massage therapy through the charity, which he says “really helped with the recovery.”

He said that he got a phone call from the charity asking him to take part and was finally convinced.

He will be walking the runway to Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger, wearing tanned chinos, a white shirt, and a blue cable-knit sweater.

Claire Rhodes, chief executive of My Cancer My Choices, said the show was about more than fashion.

“It’s about encouraging them to find themselves and push the boundaries of what they can do,” she said.

After hosting the fashion show annually for five years, she said she had seen the impact it had on the models.

“When they go through cancer treatment, they lose a lot of confidence so to be able to go out and put themselves in front of a crowd of 100 people is a daunting thing, but the sense of achievement is just unbelievable”.