A YOUNG woman from the Ribble Valley who received cancer treatment as a teenager has shared her experiences with soap actors as part of a fundraising campaign.

Francesca Wheatley, 21, from Whalley, spoke to some of the cast and writers from Hollyoaks as part of a special storyline for the Stand Up To Cancer initiative.

The soap was preparing to to tell the story of Jade Albright and Alfie Nightingale who were both diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Francesca, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2010 and has now been cancer free for more than five-years, helped the Hollyoaks cast prepare for their roles by sharing her experience of cancer.

She said: "It was quite exciting going down and seeing them all, I had a very nice time.

"It was good that I was able to help them with their storyline and portray the information I had to them. It's hard for people to imagine what cancer is like.

"I've had actors contacting me afterwards about it, it's nice, it shows they want to learn from real people."

Francesca has also taken part in a special podcast discussion about the Hollyoaks storyline with the actors and cancer scientist Graham Anderson.

The recent graduated from the University of Birmingham told a room or writers and actors about her diagnosis with Hodgkins Lymphoma and her subsequent treatment.

The storyline about Jade and Alfie and their battle with the disease culminates this month as part of effort's to raise awareness for Stand Up To Cancer.

Francesca said: “I think it is important for young people to be aware of cancer and I wanted the actors and Hollyoaks writers to know what it is like to hear those words “you have cancer” and the impact it has on your life.

“I told them all about what it was like going onto a ward, even the smells that stay with you, as well as about how I felt about losing my hair and how I coped during my treatment.

“I shared a special book I’d made with my family that documented my cancer experience. It was really interesting to visit the Hollyoaks set and have a tour and meet the actors.”

This year’s Stand Up To Cancer comes to a peak on Friday, October 21 with a night of live TV on Channel 4 led by stars in entertainment and music.

The joint fundraising initiative from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4 aims to accelerate new cancer treatments and tests to UK patients and ultimately save more lives.

Francesca's podcast can be heard at audioboom.com/channel/standuptocancer.