Mum-of-three, Andrea Sheardown, is pictured on the red carpet of the London film premiere of 'Rethink Liver Cancer' with Vanity Fair Royal Correspondent, Katie Nicholl, a fellow cholangiocarcinoma survivor.

Both have fought a long battle against the deadly cancer called cholangiocarcinoma and Andrea continues to raise funds for the UK's only Cholangiocarcinoma charity called AMMF.

Nearby is Andrea's husband, Chris, a British Airways captain who has supported Andrea through her long battle against the deadly disease and was also at the premiere.

In the background is fashion designer, Dame Zandra Rhodes, who has written a foreword describing her personal experience of being diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma for the campaign.

Created for the 'Shaping the Future' campaign, the 'Voices of Cholangiocarcinoma' film shares a collection of powerful stories from people who have been diagnosed with or lost a loved one to this cancer.

It had its first public screening in London during liver Cancer Awareness Month 2026 (October) attended not only by Andrea and her husband but also by MPs, NHS leaders and people with lived experience of cholangiocarcinoma.

She said: "As a cholangiocarcinoma cancer survivor, It was a privilege to attend this event and be part of the movement calling for change for all patients and their families dealing with this hideous cancer."

Andrea's cancer journey began in October 2015. "My world was turned upside down when I was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma.

"This extremely aggressive form of cancer is normally difficult to detect and diagnose early enough for treatment. It is known as one of the 'silent cancer killers,' with less than 5 per cent of people diagnosed surviving beyond 12 months and by the time of diagnosis it is often too advanced for surgery – which is currently the only potential cure.

"I had been experiencing some severe pain and discomfort in my ribcage and initially it was put down to strained muscles, however the pains intensified over a short period of time, and on further investigation with x-rays and scans, a large mass (the size of a small pineapple), was detected on my liver.

"Initially I was just given weeks to live due to the cancer being in advanced stages, but through our own perseverance we went on to get second and third opinions.

"Thankfully, I managed to defy the odds against me, and go on to have major surgery to my liver in November 2015 to remove the cancer. This was followed by a gruelling six months of chemotherapy.

This cancer is increasing across all age groups, including younger people, and the cause of this ongoing increase is unknown.

"Much more research is desperately needed. AMMF is the UK's only cholangiocarcinoma charity, dedicated to tackling this devastating cancer on all fronts: providing information and support, campaigning to raise awareness, and encouraging and supporting research."

AMMF Chief Executive, Helen Morement, said: "Cholangiocarcinoma is often missed until the cancer is well advanced because a patient's profile and symptoms don't trigger an urgent referral under current NHS guidance. And when it is diagnosed, access to treatment is not guaranteed, with recent NHS data showing that many patients received none of the treatments available for this cancer.

"Yet we are also seeing real progress for patients who have been able to access treatments and specialist care. That is why we are calling on the NHS to ensure that the care received by all cholangiocarcinoma patients follows the most up-to-date guidelines for diagnosing and managing this cancer, wherever they live or are diagnosed in the UK."

Over the years, Andrea has raised thousands of pounds for the AMMF charity, taking on various challenges from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, cycling from Vietnam to Cambodia, climbing to Everest Base Camp to cycling 800km coast to coast across India and more.

And now Andrea and some of her supporters are getting ready for next challenge, the Guatemala 5 Volcano ' Ring of Fire' challenge, in February 2027 which will highlight the campaign and raise funds for the charity here through a JustGiving page here .

She added: "We all fund our own places on these challenges, so all the money we raise from our fundraising activities goes directly to the AMMF charity."

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