Viewers have praised the BBC for showing a woman having a cervical smear test live on air.
Chloe Delevingne - sister of the supermodel Cara - had her cervix swabbed on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme this morning.
The segment was shown as part of Cervical Cancer Prevention Week after alarming figures realised earlier this month revealed smear test uptake is at an all-time low.
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Chloe Delevingne (pictured) - sister of the supermodel Cara - had her cervix swabbed live on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme this morning
The straightforward procedure - carried out by Dr Philippa Kaye - took only a matter of seconds
Chloe, a 33-year-old mother-of-two, admitted the thought of having a smear test - which aims to pick up abnormal cells that could lead to cancer if untreated - was a bit 'nerve-wracking'.
However, the straightforward procedure - carried out by GP Dr Philippa Kaye - was over in a matter of seconds.
Chloe, who was covered up for the test, described the sensation as being 'odd' but not painful.
In the hope of encouraging other women to attend their smear test, Chloe revealed she used to be scared by the thought of having it done.
But at just 20 years old, the socialite was found to have pre-cancerous cells and had part of her cervix removed.
'If I had not have seen my doctor with certain symptoms [that I had], I may not have been able to have children,' Chloe said.
Most viewers on Twitter were supportive of the decision to show a cervical exam live on air.
BBC journalist Catrin Nye praised the 'amazing' Chloe for helping to raise awareness.
And Rob McDowall - chair of the non-profit organisation Welfare Scotland - said he hopes the move will encourage 'apprehensive' women to attend their smears.
'Anything to improve screening rates,' he added.
BBC journalist Catrin Nye called Chloe 'amazing' for helping to raise awareness
Rob McDowall - chair of the non-profit organisation Welfare Scotland - said he hopes that by broadcasting a live smear, 'apprehensive' women will realise how simple the test really is
Viewer Alexandra Keates tweeted it was 'really inspiring' to see Chloe Delevingne having a smear test and hoped it would raise awareness of the 'important' screening
Kate Sanger praised the programme for 'breaking down stigma and taboo' around the test, which is routinely offered to all women on the NHS between the ages of 25 and 49
Stephanie Bosset also backed the programme, saying: 'Great idea, helps demystify the process, making it less daunting for those maybe holding back from getting tested'
Chloe is eight years older than her supermodel and actress sister Cara Delevingne. Cara is pictured at the Teen Vogue Summit in LA on December 1 last year
Cervical screening has been credited with saving around 5,000 women's lives in the UK each year.
But the latest figures from NHS Digital show only 71 per cent of women are up to date on screening - with 4.95million being overdue.
Take-up is just 61 per cent among 25 to 29-year-olds in England, and 69 per cent for those between 30 and 34.
This has dropped from a high of 75.7 per cent in 2011 – two years after reality star Jade Goody died from cervical cancer on March 22 2009.
And uptake is at its lowest rate since records began.
Some 81 per cent of women admit to delaying the test because they feel self conscious of their bodies, according to Jo’s Trust - the cervical cancer charity.
The trust's poll of 2,000 women aged 25-to-35 revealed 81 per cent are embarrassed about smear tests, 71 per cent are scared and 67 per cent report feeling a lack of control during the examination.
Around 3,200 British women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year and 1,000 die with the disease annually.
And rates of the condition are set to rise by nearly 40 per cent in the next 20 years.
Speaking on the Victoria Derbyshire show, Dr Kaye explained plastic speculums are used over previous metal ones, which helps to make the test more comfortable.
A medium-sized speculum is typically used, which gets inserted into the vagina and then opened slightly to prop apart the vaginal wall.
Dr Kaye stressed if the procedure is uncomfortable, the woman should tell her doctor so a smaller speculum can be used.
When it was time to start the test, Chloe - who is eight years older than Cara and two years older than their model sister Poppy - was asked to bring her knees up and make her feet into a diamond shape.
If this is uncomfortable, women can also have the test while in a foetal position - hugging their knees to their chest, Dr Kaye added.
With the speculum in, Dr Kaye brushed some cells off Chloe's cervix, adding some women experience a 'period-like pain' during this part of the procedure.
'Good on [Victoria Derbyshire] showing a live smear test to raise awareness of cervical cancer,' viewer Emma Jane Gardener tweeted. 'Book your smear now ladies!'
One viewer was keen to spread the message that a smear test is 'less painful that a paper cut'
Alzbeta took to Twitter saying she had just booked a smear after watching the live footage
One viewer pointed out Jade Goody - who died from cervical cancer at 27 in 2009 - may still be alive if she attended her smear tests. The reality TV star missed numerous appointments despite having previously received abnormal results and therefore being 'at risk'
Chloe - who is married to property developer Ed Grant - studied biomedical sciences and tumour biology at University College London.
While working on her dissertation on cervical cancer, alarm bells started to ring.
‘My periods weren’t right – I was getting irregular bleeding and sometimes they were just not happening at all – and because of the research I was doing, I recognised that I needed to get checked out,' she previously told MailOnline.
Although women registered with a GP in the UK are offering their first smear on the NHS aged 25, Chloe's doctor arranged for her to have the screening at just 20 after she reported her unusual symptoms.
The results revealed Chloe had CIN 3 stage - severely abnormal cells on the surface of the cervix that can become cancerous.
She was immediately booked in for an outpatient procedure carried out under local anaesthetic to remove the affected area.
Chloe - who is a full-time mother to her sons Atticus and Juno - recovered quickly, with the seriousness of what she had gone through only dawning on her later.
'These gynaecological cancers are called silent killers for a reason because often you don’t have obvious symptoms,' she said.
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News Photo Supermodel Cara Delevingne's sister undergoes a smear test on LIVE TV
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