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Claire Rayner (born Claire Berenice Berk to Jewish parents in London on January 22 1931) is a British journalist best-known for her role for many years as an agony aunt. She originally trained as a nurse and was awarded an OBE in 1996 for services to women's issues and to health issues. Rayner is a noted humanist and has served as President of the British Humanist Association. She remains a Vice-President of the British Humanist Association, a Distinguished Supporter of the Humanist Society of Scotland and an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society. She is also a prominent supporter of the British republican movement. She is president of The Patients Association and is the author of a chapter in The Future of the NHS (2006) (ISBN 1-85811-369-5) edited by Dr Michelle Tempest.
Breast cancer patient Rayner was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 at the age of 70. She had a simple radical mastectomy and a prophylactic mastectomy but did not require any chemotherapy or radiotherapy because the cancer had not spread to the lymph nodes. She did take tamoxifen until the side-effects became too uncomfortable. She presently has no evidence of the disease. Rayner has become a breast cancer activist in order to promote the work of the charity Cancer Research UK.* | ||||||||
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