It is an interesting philosophy and one that seems to be working for Caroline, who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer four years ago, aged 34.

When most women diagnosed with the illness struggle to look beyond the gruelling treatment to come, Caroline was determined to look on it positively.

"When the doctors told me it was cancer I thought, 'Great, I need a new hairdo, I'm going to get some new boobs and lose some weight'," she says.

It is this irreverent attitude to her illness which Caroline believes has pulled her through.

"I didn't want to be all doom and gloom. I didn't want to stay in or for people to feel sorry for me, I was determined that it wasn't going to change my life."

But, of course, the reality of intensive chemotherapy was far harder than she imagined.

Her hair fell out on the second dose, her nails went brittle and she put on more than a stone in weight due the steroids she was on.

"What I really wasn't prepared for was my eyebrows falling out. You can't believe how your face changes without eyebrows. But I went out and got loads of wigs – including a bright pink one – put on my make-up, put a big smile on my face and went out. It was not going to beat me."

Her theory was that your looks might sound like the least of your worries when you're fighting cancer, but actually they can affect the way you handle the disease. And she has now launched Caroline's Campaign to help other cancer sufferers look and feel better.

Caroline was brought up near Wakefield, where her family still live, and tried her hand at modelling. She left Yorkshire in her 20s to live in Ibiza where she worked for Mike Oldfield, of Tubular Bells fame.

"I never really knew what I wanted to do," she says.

Working with Oldfield meant she met many famous and influential people and on her return to the UK, she set up home in London, working in music PR and promoting her passion for Elvis Presley.

"I have always been a very positive and confident person," she says.

But finding the lump near her breast by accident
while playing with her necklace, could have shaken that confidence.

"I knew what it was immediately," she says, although the doctors took more persuading and it wasn't until a scan revealed a dark shadow that they confirmed her fears.

"If I hadn't been stubborn and pushed them, then I would be dead," she says. "I want that to be a warning to all women: check yourselves regularly and if you are worried, keep on going."

At the time Caroline was diagnosed with cancer, she was dating TV presenter Matthew Wright, who suggested she write about her novel approach to cancer for a national newspaper.

Entitled "My Cancer Fun", Caroline is aware it will have shocked some people.

"I'm sure people thought it was weird, but they read it. Most people I talk to about cancer are all doom and gloom, I didn't want to read that sort of thing. I found writing it quite cathartic."

She was approached by Closer magazine to become their agony aunt and she received 500 to 1,000 emails a week, mainly from women wanting her help, and she answered them personally.

"They weren't really talking about their treatment or about the illness; they were more bothered about the way they looked. They felt ugly because of what the treatment had done to
their appearance; it had knocked all their self-confidence and many
were very depressed.

"They all said that once they started chemotherapy they felt that they couldn't go out. Many of them wanted help in finding a good wig or where to get your eyebrows tattooed. It made me very sad and determined to do something."

With the same theme appearing in the majority of emails, Caroline started to develop an idea.

"I thought I'd start a website, with information from beauty experts about which hairdressers are willing to cut a wig to suit them and things like that."

But having finished her treatment, she was instilled with a new sense of vigour and lust for life; her ideas started to expand and Caroline's Campaign was launched.

She teamed up with hairdresser Anita Cox and Champneys make-up
artists to run the first Breast Cancer Makeover Masterclass day in London and then Birmingham.

She has now enlisted Toni and Guy and plans to run similar masterclasses around Britain, coming to Leeds later this month.

It will mean that salons around the country will offer beauty advice, trained hairdressers to cut cancer sufferers' wigs, and women going through treatment will get the chance to have a beauty makeover.

"Only certain hairdressers are trained to cut wigs, so it's my aim to get as many salons as possible to come on board and do it for free."

Caroline explains: "Losing your hair is one of the worst things you can go through as a woman. It takes away all your femininity.

"When I got cancer, I actually thought, 'Yes I can go and get some nice wigs'. I bought long ones, short ones, blonde ones, red ones – every colour you can imagine, but not many people know how to cut them. I ended up looking like Dolly Parton in one."

Caroline has already enlisted the help of Sir Bob Geldof thanks to her friendship with his daughter Fifi.

"Fifi started to message me on Facebook, where I originally launched the campaign. When I met her, she gave me a massive hug and now we are planning a big party in London to raise awareness of Caroline's Campaign. Her dad has offered to give one of his guitars in support," says Caroline, who is also patron of the Pink Ribbon Campaign. The end of her treatment also marked the end of her relationship with Matthew Wright.

"I think I went a bit mad," she admits. "I'd always liked to party, but after the chemo I just wanted to live life to the full. I think he got a bit worried about me. It all ended rather messily."

The end of her treatment also brought another shock which might also explain
her erratic behaviour. Her mum was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"I just fell to pieces. When it was happening to me I could be really ballsy about it, but when it was my mum I fell apart. She told me that the way I dealt with breast cancer really helped her and I thought if I could help her deal with it, why can't I help other women? I truly believe everything happens for a reason. If I had to get breast cancer to make this happen, then so be it."

"Cancer is the one who should be scared," says Caroline Monk.

It is an interesting philosophy and one that seems to be working for Caroline, who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer four years ago, aged 34.

When most women diagnosed with the illness struggle to look beyond the gruelling treatment to come, Caroline was determined to look on it positively.

"When the doctors told me it was cancer I thought, 'Great, I need a new hairdo, I'm going to get some new boobs and lose some weight'," she says.

It is this irreverent attitude to her illness which Caroline believes has pulled her through.

"I didn't want to be all doom and gloom. I didn't want to stay in or for people to feel sorry for me, I was determined that it wasn't going to change my life."

But, of course, the reality of intensive chemotherapy was far harder than she imagined.

Her hair fell out on the second dose, her nails went brittle and she put on more than a stone in weight due the steroids she was on.

"What I really wasn't prepared for was my eyebrows falling out. You can't believe how your face changes without eyebrows. But I went out and got loads of wigs – including a bright pink one – put on my make-up, put a big smile on my face and went out. It was not going to beat me."

Her theory was that your looks might sound like the least of your worries when you're fighting cancer, but actually they can affect the way you handle the disease. And she has now launched Caroline's Campaign to help other cancer sufferers look and feel better.

Caroline was brought up near Wakefield, where her family still live, and tried her hand at modelling. She left Yorkshire in her 20s to live in Ibiza where she worked for Mike Oldfield, of Tubular Bells fame.

"I never really knew what I wanted to do," she says.

Working with Oldfield meant she met many famous and influential people and on her return to the UK, she set up home in London, working in music PR and promoting her passion for Elvis Presley.

"I have always been a very positive and confident person," she says.

But finding the lump near her breast by accident
while playing with her necklace, could have shaken that confidence.

"I knew what it was immediately," she says, although the doctors took more persuading and it wasn't until a scan revealed a dark shadow that they confirmed her fears.

"If I hadn't been stubborn and pushed them, then I would be dead," she says. "I want that to be a warning to all women: check yourselves regularly and if you are worried, keep on going."

At the time Caroline was diagnosed with cancer, she was dating TV presenter Matthew Wright, who suggested she write about her novel approach to cancer for a national newspaper.

Entitled "My Cancer Fun", Caroline is aware it will have shocked some people.

"I'm sure people thought it was weird, but they read it. Most people I talk to about cancer are all doom and gloom, I didn't want to read that sort of thing. I found writing it quite cathartic."

She was approached by Closer magazine to become their agony aunt and she received 500 to 1,000 emails a week, mainly from women wanting her help, and she answered them personally.

"They weren't really talking about their treatment or about the illness; they were more bothered about the way they looked. They felt ugly because of what the treatment had done to
their appearance; it had knocked all their self-confidence and many
were very depressed.

"They all said that once they started chemotherapy they felt that they couldn't go out. Many of them wanted help in finding a good wig or where to get your eyebrows tattooed. It made me very sad and determined to do something."

With the same theme appearing in the majority of emails, Caroline started to develop an idea.

"I thought I'd start a website, with information from beauty experts about which hairdressers are willing to cut a wig to suit them and things like that."

But having finished her treatment, she was instilled with a new sense of vigour and lust for life; her ideas started to expand and Caroline's Campaign was launched.

She teamed up with hairdresser Anita Cox and Champneys make-up
artists to run the first Breast Cancer Makeover Masterclass day in London and then Birmingham.

She has now enlisted Toni and Guy and plans to run similar masterclasses around Britain, coming to Leeds later this month.

It will mean that salons around the country will offer beauty advice, trained hairdressers to cut cancer sufferers' wigs, and women going through treatment will get the chance to have a beauty makeover.

"Only certain hairdressers are trained to cut wigs, so it's my aim to get as many salons as possible to come on board and do it for free."

Caroline explains: "Losing your hair is one of the worst things you can go through as a woman. It takes away all your femininity.

"When I got cancer, I actually thought, 'Yes I can go and get some nice wigs'. I bought long ones, short ones, blonde ones, red ones – every colour you can imagine, but not many people know how to cut them. I ended up looking like Dolly Parton in one."

Caroline has already enlisted the help of Sir Bob Geldof thanks to her friendship with his daughter Fifi.

"Fifi started to message me on Facebook, where I originally launched the campaign. When I met her, she gave me a massive hug and now we are planning a big party in London to raise awareness of Caroline's Campaign. Her dad has offered to give one of his guitars in support," says Caroline, who is also patron of the Pink Ribbon Campaign. The end of her treatment also marked the end of her relationship with Matthew Wright.

"I think I went a bit mad," she admits. "I'd always liked to party, but after the chemo I just wanted to live life to the full. I think he got a bit worried about me. It all ended rather messily."

The end of her treatment also brought another shock which might also explain her erratic behaviour. Her mum was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"I just fell to pieces. When it was happening to me I could be really ballsy about it, but when it was my mum I fell apart. She told me that the way I dealt with breast cancer really helped her and I thought if I could help her deal with it, why can't I help other women? I truly believe everything happens for a reason. If I had to get breast cancer to make this happen, then so be it."