A Kent MP will start chemotherapy to treat her breast cancer next week.

Tracey Crouch revealed she had the illness in June and urged other people not to put off going to the doctors.

In a tweet the Chatham and Aylesford MP said: "Confirmed chemo starts next week - which makes the lady shaver I bought 2 weeks ago this year's daftest purchase."

Her good humoured post received dozens of replies wishing her luck.

One person suggested she had her hair shaved before it falls out, to which she replied: "Chemo crop booked for next week. Short, chic and ready for the drop."

She has now shared a longer update on her condition to her Facebook page, saying that her surgeon has "done her job brilliantly and the cancer is all out of the breast".

Ms Crouch said: "My oncologist says this is not about 'keeping me alive' as I kept saying but about 'ensuring long term cure'. A subtle difference he notes."

The 44-year-old has been updating her constituents via her social media platforms throughout her treatment and has praised staff at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Hospital Trust for her care so far.

When revealing her diagnosis, the mum-of-one from Aylesford said she intends to keep working through her treatment but will be unable to attend Westminster in person.

Her latest Facebook update reveals the extent to which she is continuing to work on behalf of her Kent constituents - even while in the hospital.

She said: "Work is very important to me - I take my role representing people in Westminster very seriously and have worked throughout all the operations via emails, calls, Zoom, etc.

"I was doing emails from my hospital bed so as you can imagine was a little upset someone thought I should step down.

"If you see me baldly parading around don't worry about double taking..."

"Having discussed this with the oncologist we have agreed a treatment programme which will enable me to balance work and chemo so hopefully people won't feel robbed of representation over the next few months.

"Fortunately we have a system of proxy votes and virtual proceedings in place at the moment for coronavirus making it much easier for me to participate than some of my colleagues who have battled this in the past."

She also promises to remain a visible presence in the community, adding: "I have no intention of hiding away so if you see me baldly parading around don't worry about double taking. I am going to be as intrigued as you to see me without hair - not sure it will make the next election poster mind you."

First elected as MP for Chatham and Aylesford in 2010, Ms Crouch was the first Conservative MP for the seat.

In 2015, she was re-elected with an increased majority and soon became the Minister for Sport.

It was during this time she fought hard to reduce the maximum stakes for fix-odd betting terminals from £100 to just £2.

The changes were announced in May 2018, but after hearing there would be a delay in enforcing the law, Ms Crouch resigned in protest in November 2018.

In her letter to Theresa May, Ms Crouch said delaying the law until October 2019 was "unjustifiable" and could cost lives.

This prompted government to bring the measures forward and they were instead introduced in April 2019.

Ms Crouch also became the world first loneliness minister in 2018 when the government announced its strategy to tackle loneliness in communities.

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