And now on bbc news, Victoria Derbyshire takes a look back at some of the highlights from her programme over the last week. Hello and welcome. For the next half an hour we will show you some of the highlights of our Award Winning journalism over the last week. In an exclusive interview with our programme, dameJulie Walters revealed she has been diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer. The hollywood actor, star of mamma mia , Billy Elliott and educating rita told me the diagnosis was a shock. It came as she was working on her latest film, the secret garden, which is released in the spring. She says as a result of her illness, her perspective towards acting has completely changed, adding her latest film could potentially be her last. After surgery and chemotherapy, Julie Walters says her most recent scan shows she is all clear of the disease. Thank you for talking to us. It is so good to see you again. You too. Particularly given what you have been through in the last couple of years. How have you been . Well, i am very well now but obviously 18 months ago, wasnt so good, when i was diagnosed with bowel cancer, stage three, two primary tumours in my large intestine. A year before that i had been to the gp because i had indigestion, terrible indigestion and a slight bit of discomfort, really slight and because my digestive system has never been brilliant, since my 20s really, i used to ignore symptoms anyway, but this wasnt just a bit, this indigestion. So i went and i saw my own gp. She said, well, there is some inflammation. I said, im fine now, because it had gone away when i saw her and she said, ok, but if that comes back i want to see you again. Well, it did come back but i was so busy working. So she sent me to see a gastric surgeon and he said, there happens to be a ct scan at three, ou can stay here and have it. And i said, yeah, lets get it done. I have a day off work. Lets do it now because i dont know when im going to be free, you know . So they did it and of course a couple of days later, i get a message on my mobile and i was filming, saying, professor kura nji would like to speak to you. And he said, we found an abnormality, and i thought, yeah. And he said, in your intestine. I said, right. What is it . He said, im worried its cancer. So i said, right. And he showed me on the ct scan and i could see it there, in my intestine right by my appendix and he said, we can fix this. But at the time i was thinking, thats ridiculous. They must have made a mistake. I couldnt believe it. So i came out and then grant was waiting in the car because he had taken me. I said, theyre worried its cancer. And ill neverforget his face and the tears. Isaid, grant. Then worried about him more. But what were the effects on you . When a consultant says, im worried its cancer, your Immediate Reaction was. . Shock. First of all shock. And i thought, right. And then you hold on to the positive which was he said, we can fix this. So the operation lasted a couple of hours . Yeah. I went into hospital and had 30 centimetres, a foot, taken out of my colon, but the brilliant thing. It was in two of my lymph nodes as well and there were two of them, the tumours. They were primary, they werent secondaries. But the brilliant thing about it was that it was in my bowel and if you catch colon cancer early, it is one of the best cancers that you can have. Your wonderful friend Victoria Wood. Yeah. Two years previously to you being diagnosed, she died of cancer. Yes. You must have thought of her when you got your diagnosis. Oh, god, yeah. I thought of her loads and how frightened she must have been because at least i could have an operation. She couldnt, they couldnt operate where her cancer was. And so i did think about that but the other thing i thought was, god, the last time i saw her was in the hospital, sitting by the bed and also i saw her at home and everything before that. And i thought, i had it at the same time. What do you think Victoria Wood would have said to you had you told her you had cancer as well . I think it might have given her a bit of hope, do you know, because i think it is like talking to you. Because you have suffered as well we are both survivors, not sufferers i think. Its comforting. Yeah. This is the real sort of Public Service information bit for people. Your symptoms were you had a bit of stomach pain, bit of heartburn. Yes. You had a bit of vomiting. Yes. You hadnt had blood in your poo or bleeding or anything like that. So you had some of the symptoms of bowel cancer and not the others. Yes. But i suppose what the message is is just go and make sure you get checked. If youve got. You see, my discomfort was really slight. You wouldnt go rushing, you certainly wouldnt go into a e, you wouldnt do anything like that, but it shouldnt be there. If its really a bit of something, youve got to get that checked. You mentioned work earlier and perhaps your perspective, when it comes to acting, has changed. Oh, my god. My perspective towards acting has completely changed. I feel like the person before the operation is different to this person. Im obviously the same person but there has been a huge shift. The minute i was diagnosed, one of the things, you asked me how i felt afterwards, was obviously the shock about it, but also there was huge relief. Its really strange, in that, god, i can get off this merry go round. It felt like i was stepping off something and it was wonderful. Because i was due to do a big series, two big series, one that year, one the year afterwards and a film, there were two films, and ijust didnt have to do any of that. Wow. So could the secret garden be your last film . Its possible, yeah. Possible. But, you know, something might come up but i would approach it in a very different. It would have to be something i really engaged with and that didnt have a killing schedule, and that. Im not saying i will never act again, but it has made me feel i dont have to do it at the moment. I dont feel i can go back to certainly six days a week, five days a week, five in the morning until seven oclock at night, with a big part, having to learn lines and the stress of it. I cant explain what the stress is like. Do you sleep the night before youre working, when youre on set . No, i dont sleep and my gut certainly doesnt work well. So all of that is not good really. But its so interesting to hear you say that. That you dont necessarily need it when it has been your life for decades. All those incredible parts. Well, i cant blame all of that on the cancer because i was getting a bitjaded and i was doing it because i like being around everybody. Doing stuff but it didnt have the excitement or the drive that it used to have. If you were starting your career now, youd have all the scrutiny of social media. I know. The news and the showbiz websites, the intensity of that how would you deal with that . Very difficult because i have nothing to do with social media. Why . I mean, im private enough. You are at the mercy of opinion enough without that, without any old tom, dick or harry coming up and saying, you look old, or you look fat, or, your acting is dreadful. I dont need that, thanks. I can question those things enough myself. You are slightly fragile and a wall of that coming at you, its unhealthy, it makes people ill and poor old Caroline Flack is a big example of that. Do you know yeats . The wine lodge . No, wb yeats, the poet. No. If you change your mind, im the first in line. Whats the soup of the day, please . Illjust go and find out. Just in case the secret garden is your last film, i heard what you said, youre not retiring, you made that very clear, butjust in case it is your last film, what is the role that you have loved the most . Its very hard to choose. I know, i know. Im going to make you. Theres two sides to it. I think there is the theatre sides and they are the most exciting and id say all my sons at the National Theatre was my favourite. It was a wonderful thing to do. Then there are categories i suppose thats why. I mean mrs overall stands out massively. A silly way of trying to draw attention. And also i think things like playing mo on channel 4, mo mowlam. So, the symptoms, this inhibition and the personality change, they can go back that far . Yes. 0h. So good old mo, a mo that everybody loves, larger than life mo. It might all be because of the tumour. Did you have chemotherapy . Yeah. And i said to grant going on, im not going to have chemotherapy. I am not having it because i know i willjust get really ill and im feeling great. Im not going to interfere with it. We come out and im saying, id better have it, hadnt i . And he said, yeah. I would have it. And i said, ok. I will never forget taking the first lot. These were tablets, rather than an infusion . Yeah. And i took the tablets and my hand was shaking. Ifelt like i was killing myself that night when i took it, but that was fine. Except my tongue swelled up and i was doing a voice over. I didnt lose my hair either. And how are you now . Im really well. As far as i know, touching wood, ive just had a scan on monday and i know that that is clear. So thats a bit of a work to do. Kind of moment. You dont realise how anxious you are before those things. Bowel cancer, because it involves your bottom, it can stop people going to the doctors because they are embarrassed or they are afraid. What would you say to them about that . What would you say to people . Its part of your digestive system, its just what digest your food. You just have to remember that. And youve got to go and get things checked and doctors are used to bottoms, theyve got one themselves. Hopefully. You know. And if you are affected by any of the issues raised in our conversation, you can find support via the bbc action ine at. If you need help there are loads of organisations listed there who can do that and you can also call forfree. On monday we devoted much of our programme to talking to children and teenagers who look after their mums and dads and sometimes their brothers and sisters too. They are called young carers but that doesnt tell you the half of it. Young carers spend an average of 25 hours a week looking after loved ones. That is the equivalent of a £12,000 a year part time carers job. That is according to new research exclusively seen by our programme from the Charity Action for children. We put together a group of these young people to hear the experiences of looking after a relative. Hi, chloe. How are you . Im good, thanks. Thanks for coming on our programme, chloe. You look after your mum full time, your dad part time, hes an alcoholic and lives somewhere else. Yeah. You look after your nine year old sister and your six year old brother. Yeah. How is that for you . Its tiring. Because im a child and im expected to have an education and go to school but still im expected to be the adult in the family and help look after them. Its just. Its tiring because theres times where you think you havent done enough or you feel like you have let them down because one day you might not have done the washing up like you was meant to. What is your routine in the mornings . I get up and then i get myself ready and then its quite rushed, because i live quite far from school. Its normally helping my brother and sister and seeing my mum for a bit and then i have to rush to school. And since what age have you had to be responsible for making sure your mum gets the right medication . What kind of medication does she need . She takes antidepressants and anxiety tablets and sometimes sleeping tablets, and i was probably about 13, i2, 13 when i started helping her take them. 0k. Does that feel like a big responsibility for you . Yeah. Because if she doesnt take one or if she misses something or its too late, and its my responsibility, its my fault and then its the guilt of me letting her down again. Its like i should have made sure she is safe when i shouldnt have to but it has been placed on me. You are 16 now, as i said, and i asked you if we can about this bit which is coming next. When you were 14, year nine, it all got a bit too much for you, didnt it . Yeah. I try to take my own life in 2018 because i had my mum and i had my family there, but being a supporter and being a carer, it felt like i was being the parent and everyone says that when you need help, you should always go to your mum but when i was looking after her, it was like i was the mum so in a way i had no one to turn to and i did feel alone. I had a lot of stress and even though people were around me and i smiled, it was like i was scraping and no one noticed that. Oh, my god. The way you talk about that, chloe, it is utterly heartbreaking, it really is. What kind of impact is being a carer had on you as an individual, as a young woman growing up and also on your education . I had a really low attendance in year nine because of what happened and they started saying they were going to fine my mum and that took a lot of stress on me. And then in general its like, the relationship i have with my brother and sister and my mum, its amazing because i am close to them than an average child is, but it also affects me because i dont get to go out as much as my friends do and i dont have the sister and brother and sister and sister relationship with them, i have more of the. Im like a co parent. It hurts because i see them at times as like my children. That shouldnt be right, that shouldnt happen. Thank you, chloe. Im going to bring josh in. Hi, josh. How are you . Good, thanks. Thank you for coming on our programme. What is the best thing about looking after, helping to look after your little brother harry . It is really fun but he always loves and makes it a game so fun but he always loves and makes it a game so its really fun to do. What are the kinds of things you do to help him every day . |j what are the kinds of things you do to help him every day . I help mum and dad by cleaning his teeth, getting him changed, reading a book with him and i often have to chase after him before he gets to a road to stop him. Thank god you are there to stop him. Thank god you are there to stop him crossing the road. I know sometimes you say that people cant understand what he is saying. He has down syndrome and what do you do when that happens . he has down syndrome and what do you do when that happens . I am the only one, i do when that happens . I am the only one, lam basically do when that happens . I am the only one, i am basically his communicator because i am the only one that can talk with him because other people are like, what is he saying . I get it right every time. What are people like at school about you both . Some people think i am a liar about the things i do and some just know what ido and things i do and some just know what i do and they are like, well done, but some are like, you are not doing it, you are a liar. So they dont believe you have to do all the things you do effectively. Alicia, when you were 13 your mum was heavily pregnant and she actually went into labour at home and you delivered your mums baby. Yes. I was in year eight at the time. I think it was 11 oclock on the night and my mum had come into the room, i think i am in labour. I had to call the ambulance. I had to get loads of bla nkets the ambulance. I had to get loads of blankets and everything and had to place them around her but before the ambulance arrived, my little sister had already come so i had to catch her sort of. It was really scary because that whole experience was just like, i definitely dont want to bea just like, i definitely dont want to be a midwife, i know that for certain. Thank goodness you were there. How much school have you had to miss because you help look after your mum . Thankfully i dont miss a lot of school, im in college now so obviously i dont have, like, id say its a full timetable but i dont have five lessons a day. I do have free periods and on a thursday, i dont start until 11 and on a friday, i finished at 11 and sometimes half past two. My timetable is quite flexible because it is not as. Has been a carer affected your grades . Definitely. In year 11 when i was doing my mock exams, i was really stressed out and idid end exams, i was really stressed out and i did end up feeling quite a lot of them. I wasnt revising and i was just stressing myself out and it did get better. I did end up passing all my gcses. Well done. You can watch the full a0 minute segment with those children and teenagers. Just go to our website. Finally we revealed that trans patients are waiting up to three years to see specialists and some are choosing to self medicate with hormone support online. Freedom of information data we obtained exclusively found that in all but one of the uks 13 gender Identity Clinics, you could end up waiting over a year to be seen. In belfast you could wait up to 166 weeks. In nottinghamshire up to 1a5. In england the target waiting time is 18 weeks. Cora is a 20 year old law student. She has been on the waiting list for a gender identity waiting clinic for two years so far. Last summer she started self medicating with oestrogen pills bought online. She is aware of the dangers both physically and mentally. But with all risks considered, for cora and many others, she saw it as her only option. I was so low before that it basically felt like a choice between suicide or self medicating because i couldnt deal with the thought of masculinisation. Were you nervous the first time you took the pills because you didnt know what they were, where they came from . because you didnt know what they were, where they came from . I was so scared. I dont know anything about those tablets specifically. I havent got the funds to get it tested so it is like kind of a guessing game of your life because they could be anything, you really dont know. I was petrified. Data obtained exclusively by the bbc has found every trust in england is consistently missing the target of 18 weeks. In Northern Ireland their target is to be seen within 52 weeks but patients will wait over three yea rs. Wales but patients will wait over three years. Wales and scotland dont have targets but the islands are home to the uks shortest waiting time at 32 weeks. Londons tavistock clinic we re weeks. Londons tavistock clinic were not able to provide accurate figures but anecdotal evidence points to patients waiting 2. 5 years to be seen. Nottingham has the longest waiting england atjust under three years. Doctor grainne coa kley at under three years. Doctor Grainne Coakley at sheffields gender Identity Clinic acknowledges wait times contribute to self medication but would caution against it. Times contribute to self medication but would caution against itm times contribute to self medication but would caution against it. If you ta ke but would caution against it. If you take testosterone there is the risk ofa take testosterone there is the risk of a condition which can lead to spontaneous clotting of the blood. Again there is an increase risk of clotting with oestrogen. If that is not monitored, someone having regular tests, they are putting themselves at risk. We bought hormone products. We tested their authenticity. The products appear to be authentic but the testosterone contained only one out of the four ingredients to claim two. Meaning it isa ingredients to claim two. Meaning it is a counterfeit product and potentially unsafe to use. Lucas began his transition six years ago when he was 29. After being told he would face a 2. 5 year wait for a gender Identity Clinic appointment he took matters into his own hands and bought testosterone online. The self medication was scary and unpleasant and potentially dangerous, but its better than the alternative. I will not be the only person who had this experience. You are also so relieved and excited. You kind of dont care. Although none of them had an adverse reaction ido none of them had an adverse reaction i do feel like certainly the quality contained was much lower and i do suspect that a few of the doses i got were effectively nothing. For instance, i didnt start growing any facial hair at all until i moved on to actual prescribe testosterone. Just explain for us how you feel when you are told you have got to wait two, two and a half years to even be seen . It is distressing and dehumanising. Dozens and dozens and dozens dehumanising. Dozens and dozens and d oze ns of dehumanising. Dozens and dozens and dozens of people miss gender me at work because every call i take is, thank you, miss, and that is, just wasnt something i could do any more. People die on that waiting list. I know of at least one person who did. They committed suicide on that waiting list. It kills people and it cannot sit at the bottom of the nhss to do list for ever. At some point something is going to give andi some point something is going to give and i dont know whether that will be a sufficient body count or what. If you are affected by issues raised in the film, do contact the bbc action line either by phone or online. Bbc action line either by phone or online. That is it for this week, you can contact the programme any time on twitter and me and do e mail your stories. We are back life on monday morning, ten a m. , bbc two, the bbc news channel and online. Thanks for watching. After todays sunshine and showers there is more rain on the way. We have at last had a bit of blue sky out there today and not too many showers during the afternoon. At least have reached to eastern parts of england, it has been wintry with the showers in scotland and this is another spell of rain coming in overnight and into sunday morning. It does bring more rain, at times heavy into areas that have seen the worst of the flooding. The welsh hills could see high rain totals once again. A bit of hill snow towards Northern Ireland, northern scotland. The wintry showers i see in places. Windy with this next weather system, particularly through southern areas. It is on the way out, the rain so mainly overnight and first thing on sunday before that clears away and then right into a run ofa that clears away and then right into a run of a chilly breeze but also showers once again although they will fade later in the day. Only because another weather system will move in on sunday night. After that wet start, the rain clears. In the afternoon, through parts of southern england and south wales, thick cloud at times, showery bursts of rain. Elsewhere, showers will fade during the afternoon. Still quite blustery out there but not as windy as today. When gusts will be higher than the average. With the wind using, more in the way of afternoon sunshine. Not quite as chilly but all eyes on the next weather system and that is poised to move in on sunday night and into monday morning. This will provide more heavy rain and some snow in places, feeding into colder air they could be snow in scotlands central belt as we start monday before it tends to rain later and that snow will push further north across scotland during the day. Another spell of rain will sink south across the uk, clearing in the afternoon. Then it brightens up and it is not just afternoon. Then it brightens up and it is notjust rain and snow in places, it is very windy again so the risk of some disruption particularly across the northern half of the uk, the winds could be gusting 70 mph in the windy spots. Colder once the rain has moved through and following that, some sunshine but surely, blustery wintry showers. This is bbc news, im lukwesa burak. The headlines at five 32 british and irish tourists are on their way to a Quarantine Centre in wirral, after being evacuated from a coronavirus hit cruise ship in japan. A 29 year old man appears in court in connection with a stabbing inside londons Central Mosque during afternoon prayers. The met office warns the uk to brace itself for more bad weather, with warnings of snow in scotland, and strong winds and yet more rain on the way. The cast of friends is to reunite for a one off special programme, more than 15 years since the show ended. Harry and meghan will stop using their sussexroyal brand from spring following their decision to step back from royal duties