A MOTHER recently diagnosed with breast cancer has told how those closest to her have got her through two years of hell.

Stephanie Whibley, 50, from Shoreham, found out she has stage three breast cancer last month.

The news came two years after she almost lost her husband Peter, 64, to a stroke. He is now in the early signs of vascular dementia.

Last year, Stephanie and her daughter Holly, 23, were the victims of blackmail when a woman demanded £5,000 from them or she would “slit their horses’ throats”.

Speaking about the traumas she has encountered, Stephanie said: “It has been a particularly tough past couple of years.

“Peter has been poorly for some time now. I had to give up working full-time to look after him - it was very difficult.

“Then there was the horses. That was absolutely horrendous for me and Holly.”

Despite all these heartbreaking events, Stephanie has kept her head held high and is remaining positive, thanks to family and friends.

She said: “I don’t want to dwell on it. This has shown me that, actually, people do love me. I have had so much support from the community.

“My two children are devastated, obviously – I’m their mum. But they have been my rocks since I got the news. I don’t know what I would have done without them.

“My son, Alex, has been at every appointment I’ve had so far, and my best friend, Karen, has been amazing.”

On Saturday, Stephanie is going to “brave the shave” and have her hair trimmed off to embrace her illness, saying she “is going to lose it through the chemotherapy anyway”. This bank holiday weekend, her and Peter will also celebrate their 25th anniversary.