A CANCER fighter who dropped eight dress sizes has posed for a boudoir shoot to prove women with her illness are still sexy.

Claire Yates, 46, from Ludgershall, was diagnosed with with oesophageal cancer nearly three years ago and is trying to raise awareness of the illness.

Oesophageal cancer affects the gullet, the tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach. Symptoms can include difficulty swallowing, persistent indigestion or heartburn and pain in the throat or behind the breastbone.

This type of cancer usually affects men over the age of 60, but Claire was 44 when she was diagnosed and had to go through chemotherapy, radiotherapy and has needed to have a feeding tube since having an operation to remove all of her stomach and the majority of her oesophagus.

Having gone through so much Claire had also lost her “curves” dropping from a size 18 to an 8.

And embracing her new look she came across advert for Exeter-based photographers Kensa Boudoir.

“My friend had done a shoot and she looked amazing. I always said that when I slimmed down I would do that and I am slim.”

Civil servant Claire said that on her journey she had met other woman who had documented their cancer path, but she wanted to remember it in a “positive way”.

“This advert came up on Facebook and saw that quite a few women had had a shoot done, and coming out of the cancer I thought suck it up, get it booked in and get it done. I thought that I’ve already written out my will so what’s the worst that can happen.”

And in July this year Claire travelled to Devon for the shoot and she made the brave decision to show off the feeding tube.

Speaking about the photoshoot she said: “While they were taking the photos I was confident and I had a thoroughly good time posing.”

And within weeks Claire was shown her photos, and she said: “I got some was like ‘Oh my God do I look like that’. I am still getting over how skinny I am, but at the end of the day it is still me.”

Claire says that the photos will be hung in her bedroom. She said: “I will be putting some inspirational quotes around them to remind myself that I’ve got this.”

By taking the photos Claire hopes to inspire other women who are undergoing treatment for cancer. “You never know what people are going through. There are women at work who have had cancer and they kept it quiet because of the guilt and shame, they didn’t want sympathy, but people need to communicate more, you need to be more honest with people to let them help.”