Clutching my programme outside the stage door of The Crucible in Sheffield, I nervously waited to say hi to Cara Theobold. I’d just watched her give a stellar performance in a play called The Ladies Football Club, which you must see when it tours. (If it doesn’t tour, it will be an absolute travesty of our time.) My nervousness came not from meeting a celebrity, as during my career I’ve met all sorts – Boris Johnson when he was the Mayor of London, Nigel Farage at the Brexit flotilla, Ed Miliband long after his hopes of power ended with the infamous bacon sandwich pictures and panto stars like Chloe Madeley.

As I clutched my program outside The Crucible’s stage door in Sheffield, excitement mixed with nerves as I awaited a chance to greet Cara Theobold. Her performance in The Ladies Football Club was nothing short of extraordinary, and I fervently hope this play gets the nationwide tour it deserves. If it doesn’t, it would be a significant cultural loss. My apprehension wasn’t due to meeting a celebrity—I’ve encountered many, from Boris Johnson during his mayoral tenure to Nigel Farage at the Brexit flotilla, and even panto stars like Chloe Madeley—but rather from a desire not to repeat past awkwardness.

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On this chilly night, I resolved to remain composed. Did I succeed? Perhaps. I spoke to Cara, praising her outstanding role in Crazyhead and expressing my hope for the play’s tour, all without slipping into hero worship.

Reflecting on my walk back to the hotel, I pondered how these two encounters, separated by 22 years, might influence my approach to life. Having already battled bowel cancer, I wondered how I’d handle a different challenge two decades down the line.

Just because the scans would suggest chemo could destroy the tumours within six months, there’s never any guarantee.

I’d always worry about the medics having missed something, and I don’t think I’d respond well to a world where I would be called cancer-free.

The only thing I’d know with any certainty is that I should take sachets of pepper with me to hospital in an attempt to pep up bland chicken mayonnaise sandwiches.

And I know I’d need a lot of counselling afterwards to know that my fears of the cancer returning for a third time were normal, but also how important it is not to let this fear consume me.

That is why I’m so pleased that when Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced in February that all cancer patients would be getting a personal cancer plan to support them throughout their journey, he pledged that it would include support after treatment.

In all the time that the Daily Express has been running our Cancer Care campaign, this has been a key aspect.

Everyone living with cancer, or who is now cancer-free, should have the support they need so they don’t spend their lives living in fear.

And if they do worry about anything, it should be whether they’ll embarrass themselves by shouting “You’re my hero” at an actor outside a stage door.