Daughter Luna, now three, was born a few months before Franks’ cancer diagnosis, in 2018.“Had I known I had the [BRCA2] gene all those years ago, I could have had [a preventative] double mastectomy, I could have frozen eggs, I could have done those things to make my life a little less challenging,” she says.
“I kept putting off this lifesaving surgery in the hope I could pull off another little miracle,” she told“My doctors said, ‘You fought to live, and we can’t afford to lose you.’ I wanted to carry another baby and have a tribe but I have to accept I will have the one biological child, and I am so blessed to have her.”Franks and Jones are now investigating adoption or surrogacy, either in Australia or the UK – both countries only allow “altruistic” surrogacy, meaning the surrogate cannot be paid.
Thursday: On the anniversary of the Mabo native title decision, an Indigenous fashion showcase, presented by David Jones, will have an all First Nations line-up of models, too. “After going through breast cancer and [seeing] people you love die ... you’ll do anything it takes ... to drive change to make sure no one has to go through this hideous journey,” says Franks, whose prizemoney on the show is supporting the National Breast Cancer Foundation.She says appearing on the show, in which she has clashed with fellow contestants including comedian Ross Noble, was “terrifying”.“All my weaknesses were so exposed,” she says. “It was a crazy circus.