Vanessa Feltz claims doctors told mum she was ‘attention seeking’ before dying of cancer

Vanessa Feltz claims that her mother’s illness was diagnosed too late due to ‘medical misogyny’.

Her mother, Valerie Ohrenstein, died from endometrial cancer aged 57, in 1995, and Vanessa believes it could have been prevented.

While discussing medical gender bias on her TalkTV show, Vanessa, 61, shared her personal upset. 

‘My mother was suddenly getting the most tremendous abdominal pain but only sporadically and only sometimes and very unpredictably but it was incredibly painful when it happened,’ she explained.

‘She went from doctor to doctor to doctor, specialist to specialist and they all pretty much did that pat her on the head thing saying, you know, “Are you neurotic? Are you looking for attention? Is it the menopause?…” and it turned out to be endometrial cancer and she died at the age of 57.’

She added that Valerie was ‘neither heard nor listened to,’ and that it eventually ‘spread so far that they couldn’t really do anything much about it’.

Vanessa spoke about her mother’s ordeal (Picture: TalkTV)

After initially getting reassurance from medical professionals that Valerie was okay, Vanessa and her family felt less inclined to continue to look into it.

‘When the doctor says it’s nothing to worry about, “Don’t worry your pretty little head about it” you just think, “Okay, good” don’t you?’

She continued: ‘As her family, we, to some extent, thought, “They say it’s nothing serious, good” rather than “Push harder, push harder, and try and find out what it is, it must be something”.’

Vanessa has urged other women to talk up (Picture: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Lisa Snowdon)

Vanessa then urged women to talk up for themselves if they were concerned.

‘You don’t have to kick up a fuss or have a fight but just say it,’ she advised.

Vanessa, who split from her longterm partner Ben Ofoedu, has previously spoken about having check-ups every six months to ensure she lives for a long time.

‘I have everything, everything you can have,’ she told the Mirror.

‘My mother died 20 years ago and I miss her every day. I would like to live much longer than that.’

Watch Vanessa’s drivetime show from Monday to Friday, 5pm on TalkTV

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Valerie died from endometrial cancer aged 57.