A beauty queen only had her brain tumour that 'was the size of a grapefruit' spotted after going for a routine eye test.
Holly Worswick, 26, went to her local Specsavers for a regular eye test in 2021.
After the optician spotted something wrong, she was rushed straight to A&E where an MRI and CT scan showed a brain tumour. She was operated on within 48 hours.
'If I didn't go for that check-up at Specsavers I probably wouldn't be here today because the tumour was the size of a grapefruit,' Ms Worswick said.
The opticians performed an optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan of the back of her eye and found that Ms Worswick's optic nerve on the right side was four times larger than it should have been.
Ms Worswick said: 'I felt confused as I didn't know what a mass was at first.
'I was scared and of course very worried. I had to pause my teacher training and had a lot of time off work.
'Because it was discovered by accident, I think it's really important that you know the signs and symptoms of it and to get something checked out if they think that something isn't right.'
Holly Worswick, 26, went to her local Specsavers for a regular eye test in 2021, where a tumour was discovered
The opticians performed an optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan of the back of her eye and found that Ms Worswick's optic nerve on the right side was four times larger than it should have been
After the optician found the tumour, Ms Worswick required five brain surgeries and an additional ear operation
In total, she has needed four more brain surgeries and an additional ear operation.
After her first surgery, she attended Salford Hospital for more scans and was told she needed further procedures.
The following day she underwent an operation to try and remove the tumour and take a biopsy to determine if it was cancerous.
Within a month, she had to return to hospital to have part of her skull removed due to the infection.
In July 2021, she had a titanium plate fitted in the space where her skull was missing, which was later replaced with one made from biocompatible material.
Her tumour was non-cancerous but she has had to have several surgeries because it kept growing back.
Sadly, in November 2021, a CT scan showed the tumour had regrown, so she had to have a fourth brain surgery in January 2022.
She said: 'I didn't enjoy that Christmas, to be honest it was awful.
'I am not the biggest fan of Christmas anyway, but that made it particularly worse -- it was all I was thinking about.'
In July 2021, she had a titanium plate fitted in the space where her skull was missing, which was later replaced with one made from biocompatible material
Ms Worswick has been competing in beauty pageants since she was 16. She said it has helped to build her confidence and meet new people
But despite undergoing the surgery, just two years later, in February 2024, another scan revealed new growth.
It meant she had to have a fifth operation to remove the tumour, followed by six weeks of targeted proton beam therapy.
Ms Worswick 'rang the bell' in August 2024, a tradition marking the end of cancer treatment.
After this she thought she was in the all-clear. But in early 2025 she began struggling with her hearing, and a doctor told her it had grown back again.
This time, the tumour has grown near her ear canal, which she said left her ears 'popping, leaking and crackling'.
'I was struggling to hear people, so they removed the eardrum and closed the ear canal off -- which has left me slightly deaf in my right ear.'
Ms Worswick has been competing in beauty pageants since she was 16. She said it has helped to build her confidence and meet new people.
Since her diagnosis, she has used her platform to raise awareness for spotting the signs of tumours.
Ms Worswick 'rang the bell' in August 2024, a tradition marking the end of cancer treatment - but in early 2025 she began struggling with her hearing, and a doctor told her it had grown back again
Ms Worswick was a finalist at the Miss England pageant where she represented her hometown of Macclesfield in November last year
Common symptoms include headaches, seizures, nausea, being sick, drowsiness, mental or behavioural changes, such as memory problems or changes in personality, progressive weakness or paralysis on one side of the body and vision or speech problems.
She was a finalist at the Miss England pageant where she represented her hometown of Macclesfield in November last year.
Ms Worswick said: 'My entry is all about raising awareness of brain tumours. People think pageants are all about how you look, but it isn't.
'It is about your story and what you have done for your community.
'I want to raise as much awareness for brain tumours [as possible] and show people there is life after diagnosis.'
She added: 'I'm proud of my journey, and if I've influenced even one person to get an OCT scan at the opticians, I've won in my eyes'