Sky News star Jacquie Beltrao is celebrating a momentous milestone—she's officially five years cancer-free and spoke exclusively to OK! about how lucky she feels as she hits her 60th birthday. Known for reporting on some of the UK's most significant sporting events, Jacquie confessed there were times when she was 'hard not to plan my funeral'. The broadcaster, who's set to turn 60 on Monday 21 April, shared her feelings with raw emotion: "My 60th birthday is a big celebration. In some ways turning 60 can fill you with dread, sometimes you feel people can look at you differently, but there were days I never thought I would make it to this point given the severity of my cancer. But here I am." She continued: "I feel truly blessed and I was ready to have a big party to celebrate life. I have always been a very positive person, trying to find the right mindset to approach life, but almost exactly five years ago when I was told my cancer had spread, it was very hard not to start planning a funeral. But instead, I was planning a 60th birthday. It's wonderful to be able to say that." The charming Dublin-born Jacquie, a former gymnast who competed in the 1984 Olympics and has since interviewed some of the biggest names in sports, has been battling cancer for the last 12 years. Remarkably, five years after being diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer when it was discovered that the disease had spread to her legs and spine, she's been given a new lease on life thanks to Olaparib – a drug typically used by ovarian cancer patients, reports the Mirror. Now, Jacquie is not only fighting fit but also celebrating being nearly five years cancer-free and ringing in her seventies with flair. Reflecting on how her past as a top-level gymnast – representing Great Britain at the 1984 Olympics – has influenced her attitude during her cancer treatment. Jacquie says: "It has definitely helped me. You have this belief and drive when you compete in elite sport. I'm sure the fact that I know I was in a tiny fraction of people who were able to compete for their country at an Olympics gave me some belief that maybe I could be in the fraction of people who survive long after a cancer diagnosis that I got. But I can't emphasise enough how lucky I feel." The journalist lives in South West London with her husband Eduardo of 12 years and is a proud mother to Amelia, 27, a newsreader on TalkSport radio, and sons Tiago, 24, a promotions and publicity executive, and Jorge, 23, an oil and shipping analyst. In 2013, Jacquie was diagnosed with the disease when she discovered a lump. Following her mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, she once received encouraging odds that the cancer had a mere three in 100 chance of returning within five years. However, during the lockdown in 2020, she detected a small lump under her collarbone, which was confirmed to be an aggressive recurrence of cancer. Doctors informed her it had reached stage 4 and would remain incurable. "It hit me like a ton of bricks. I'd always been positive in my outlook, looking for good news, good outcomes and then it became very hard to see them," Jacquie reflects with sorrow. "I didn't know where to turn. I would have some very dark thoughts. I remember looking up how long people live for from stage 4 cancer and it said a max of two years." Thankfully, due to a targeted therapy drug known as Olaparib, Jacquie's cancer is now undetectable in scans. "In June 2021, I had a scan and the doctor called me to say, 'You have very, very good results.' She told me there's no evidence of the disease at all. "I was stunned. She explained all of the tumours had disappeared on the scan, although just eight weeks earlier, the cancer was clearly visible. She sent me the scan and indeed, the signs of cancer were gone. This miracle drug was to thank. I remember sharing the news with Eduardo, the boys, Amelia and we all shared hugs and tears – it was pure joy and relief." Since her ordeal, Jacquie, who continues to attend regular check-ups, expressed her relief and gratitude saying, "I've had my life back, I feel very blessed. Obviously, I'm aware that it could come back at any point as I have lived through that experience. I take two tablets of the drug twice a day and although it might sound strange, every time I take them out of the packet I feel grateful."