Sarah Ferguson makes first public appearance since skin cancer diagnosis

Sarah, Duchess of York has made her first public appearance since being diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer.

The 64-year-old author attended the annual Haute Living 100 event in Miami, Florida earlier this week, which honoured “influential individuals in Miami, including philanthropists, entrepreneurs, power couples, developers, creatives, athletes, hospitality power players, and more”.

Sarah donned one of her signature black and white military-style blazers over a black dress with semi-sheer tights and matching ankle boots.

She also carried an embellished Dolce & Gabbana clutch bag as she posed for photographs at the bash alongside guests, which included Jennifer Lopez’s friend Loren Ridinger.

While in Miami, the Duchess appeared as the keynote speaker at the Cancer Alliance Palm Beach charity event. She looked elegant in a mint green tweed two-piece in images shared by film and television producer Erbil Gunasti.

The mother of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie was hit with the shock health diagnosis  two days into the new year after spending much of last year recovering from breast cancer.

Sarah with Loren Ridinger in Miami

In an Instagram post on 22 January, Sarah said: “I have been taking some time to myself as I have been diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer, my second cancer diagnosis within a year after I was diagnosed with breast cancer this summer and underwent a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.

“It was thanks to the great vigilance of my dermatologist that the melanoma was detected when it was.

“Naturally another cancer diagnosis has been a shock but I’m in good spirits and grateful for the many messages of love and support.”

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The NHS saw a huge surge in people looking for information on melanoma skin cancer after Sarah was diagnosed with the disease. 

NHS England said there was one visit every 13 seconds to the NHS website for information on melanoma in the two days following the announcement. Some 13,662 visits were made in 48 hours – more than eight times higher than the same time during the previous week (1,624 visits).

Sarah with Loren and Brazilian artist and painter, Romero Britto

A source close to the Duchess previously told HELLO!: “Her intention in making this news public was to get the message out about the importance of being vigilant about checking the size, shape, colour and texture of moles. She’s delighted to hear that her experience is having some positive effect.”

A friend of Sarah, meanwhile, told us: “She’s really keen to get the public health message out there. She was very struck by the reaction she got when she talked about her breast cancer diagnosis in the summer. She has a platform and she will use it. If something positive can come from that, she’s all for it.”

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