She made her debut on My Kitchen Rules as one half of the bubbly sibling duo alongside her older brother Blake.
But behind her bright smile, Amanda Proud has experienced a number of traumatic health issues.
“I went to the doctor and they told me I had some abnormal cells in my cervix, and so they wanted me to monitor them every six months,” the 29-year-old reveals.
“I had an angry cervix, so every time I had these tests I would bleed for a long time after. It ruined my sex life. So the cells got worse and worse and worse over time and they were different strains of cancer cells. None of the ones they can immunise against with the vaccination, so I was really unlucky.
“I went in on a Friday to get my results from one test and the doctor said that if I don’t get the abnormal cells cut out of my cervix, I will get cancer within the next couple of months. They cancelled all their appointments on that following Monday and they booked me in to have it removed. There was no anaesthetist on, so I had to do it while I was awake. So they had to remove half my cervix,” she recalls.
“I still have to go back for check-ups every year for the next five years. Now, if one of my girlfriends is complaining about getting a pap smear I tell them to just go. If I hadn’t gone I could have had cancer – that scares the s–t out of me.”
“I also have a hormone imbalance and they thought that might have been from the cancer cells and your body being a bit out of whack. I overproduce prolactin and cortisol. And the doctor said to me, ‘There’s only one thing that causes these hormone levels to be that high, we think you’ve got a brain tumour.’ So I got the MRI done and it turned out everything was fine but there is something wrong with my hormones.
“I also have endometriosis as well, but I have the chronic version as well, where your uterus is like concrete, pretty much. Doctors have said there’s pretty much no chance I can have kids. My uterus won’t hold a baby anyway, my hormones won’t let it happen and then because now I have half a cervix it would be an issue to hold a baby to full-term.”
Despite all her health issues, the WA-based customer service manager says she’s content being a stepmother to Talia, 12, who she shares with partner Travis Marangoni.
“My partner is like, ‘I’m not with you because of what your body can and can’t do. We already have Talia so don’t put your body through the stress…”
“I’ve accepted how things are. We’ve accepted the life path and are embracing it. I can’t have kids but I get to be a stepmum and that’s so great. The love you have for a kid – any kid that you spend time with – you have that parent protection love kind of thing.”
My Kitchen Rules airs on Sun. – Thurs., 7pm, on Seven.
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