Supermodel Caprice has opened up about the "really difficult time" she went through after being diagnosed with a brain tumour and said the experience has changed her life.
The model and businesswoman appeared on Saturday Night With Miriam where she spoke about being diagnosed with a benign brain tumour in April when she was competing on the Channel 4 reality series The Jump.
The 45-year-old Californian had been suffering from "really bad headaches" and was advised by the health and safety officer on the show to go and get checked out.
"I said: 'No, I've got to do this job and I've got a live show in eight hours, I have to go practice!'", Caprice explained, but was ordered to go to the doctors where she had a few scans.
A few hours later, a neurosurgeon came in to tell her that she had a brain tumour. The first thing she asked was "Am I going to die?" and he said the tumour is benign, which means it's not cancerous, "but we're not sure".
Caprice said the diagnosis left her floored. "I've never really had anything wrong with my health, all of a sudden I'm doing this amazing show and somebody comes to me and tells me I have brain tumour", she said.
She left the show and went home to her partner Ty Comfort and their two three-year-old sons Jett and Jax.
"It was a really difficult time for me", she said. "Everyone reacts differently - I chose not to tell anyone for my children. I couldn't have the surgery right away as my body was a wreck from The Jump so I had to wait a month, so I didn't tell anyone", Caprice said.
"I didn't want to tell my mum because she has two pacemakers... Before my children I would have played the victim card and I would have told everyone, probably even the press, but when you have children the first thing that comes into your mind is my two three-year-old boys and I don't want to worry anyone, I just want to get through it."
Caprice underwent a successful seven and a half hour surgery to remove the growth and was discharged from the hospital after just four days. The model said the experience has completely changed her perspective.
"I'm from nothing, I'm a grafter and I've worked very hard for everything I've achieved and I'm not shy about it", she said. "I've made very good money and I'm proud of it and I like doing it, but now, my work has taken a back seat and I'm spending as much time with my children. I've gotten rid of one of my businesses."
She added that she previously took her health "so much for granted" whereas now she is thankful every day. "I wake up and I'm in the best mood and I'm so thankful. It changes everything", she said.
The TV star also opened up about finding love with her partner Ty Comfort at the age of 39 and starting a family.
"I'm a late mom, I chose to wait until I found the right person because it's hard to be a single mum", she told host Miriam O'Callaghan. "So I was 39 years old when I found my soulmate."
Two months after they started dating she told him that she wanted to have kids, saying "If you don't want to have kids let's just be best friends and call it a day. He said 'Ok, let's go'. So we started."
She had a miscarriage and they decided to try IVF. After three unsuccessful rounds of IVF treatment they decided to use a surrogate and the surrogate became pregnant with their embryo.
"And then a month later I got pregnant naturally myself!", she said.
"I'm very blessed, I've had one heck of a four years let me tell you. You've just got to stay strong for your family and get on with it", she added.
