Sarah Ferguson is keeping the optimism alive as she battles breast cancer.
The Duchess of York, 63, revealed on the Aug. 2 episode of her podcast, Tea Talks with the Duchess and Sarah, that she hilariously nicknamed her breasts following a single mastectomy she underwent recently.
She told co-host Sarah Thomson that her left boob is her “new best friend, Derek.”
“On my left, he’s called Derek … and he’s very important because he saved my life,” Fergie — as the royal is often called — explained.
Thompson then inquired as to why she choose the moniker.
Fergie replied: “I don’t know, it just made me laugh that I have now a friend who’s with me all the time who’s protecting with his shield of armor.”
The mother of two also has a name for her right breast: Eric.
“Poor Eric on the right is feeling rather sad because he’s not as perky as Derek on the left, but I’ll get Eric balanced, don’t worry,” she quipped.
Fergie revealed she was diagnosed with an early stage of cancer during a routine mammogram back in June.
She’s since had a mastectomy and spent recovery time with her family at home at the Royal Lodge in Windsor.
“The Duchess is receiving the best medical care and her doctors have told her that the prognosis is good,” read a statement at the time released by her rep.
Her surgery was said to be “successful” due to the early diagnosis.
The former Weight Watchers spokesperson has been candid about her illness on her podcast and previously divulged that her sister Jane motivated her to get the screening that identified the breast cancer.
She joked that she kept putting off the doctor’s visit and Jane pushed her to go sooner rather than later.
“Thank you, Jane,” Fergie said. “I think it’s so important you do talk about it.”
She also mentioned her late father, Ronald Ferguson — who died from prostate cancer in 2003 — and why early screenings are important.
She added: “I’m gonna go out there and get super fit and super well, super strong. And if I have to shout about this from the top of the mountains, then I’ll shout about it. Because I think it’s vital that we need to wake everybody up to go screen, not just breast cancer. I’m talking prostate and all the checks.
“I don’t mind if no one wants to hear from me. Because I’m telling you that I am doing this. I am telling people out there because want every single person that is listening to this podcast to go get checked, go get screened and go do it,” she said.
Fergie’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, as well as her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, have been supporting her throughout her ordeal.
