CASTLE Point mayor Beverley Egan has celebrated being given the all clear from cancer with an afternoon of champagne and chocolates.

The St Peter's ward councillor underwent an emergency hysterectomy and removal of her lymph glands at Southend Hospital following an ovarian cancer scare.

Biopsy results have now revealed the mum-of-three had been suffering from a rare tumour.

She said: "It appears it wasn't actually ovarian cancer, but a very rare tumour more normally found in the bowel or thyroid than the ovary.

"It had to be sent to Belfast for further investigation, but the good news is it hasn't spread and I don't need further treatment.

"They literally caught it just in time, because it was on the turn." Mrs Egan honoured all her civic duties right up until the day before she was admitted to hospital last month.

She now hopes to ease herself gently back into public engagements and plans to attend the Remembrance Day service this Sunday.

She said: "I didn't sleep the night before going back to hospital, but my daughters were with me the whole time. When I got the news, the three of us just hugged each other and burst into tears."

Thanking wellwishers she added: "The encouragement I have had from family, friends, organisations and the church has been second to none. People in Castle Point have been fantastic."

Mrs Egan said her scare had taught her to listen to her body and encouraged other residents to do the same.

"If something changes us girls should go along to the doctors. I've learnt a big lesson, but I know others aren't so lucky."