A THEATRE assistant completed the hottest ever London marathon on record to raise money for an ovarian cancer charity.

Janine Osborne-Bowring, of Penarth, decided she wanted to raise money for Ovarian Cancer Action (OCA) after 10 years of working alongside gynaecological surgeons as a theatre assistant.

The 35-year-old joined a team of OCA runners who came from different parts of the country to help raise money to combat the disease.

Speaking about why she chose to run the Ms Osborne-Bowring said: "I have seen the devastation this disease can cause and have also experienced it first hand with a very close friend being diagnosed but thank god she knew there was something wrong and her cancer was caught in time.

"The heat was unbearable which made the running even more of a hell, but the love and support from my family, friends and all the amazing ladies I train got me through it. I just kept thinking this could save one of their lives, this is helping raise money for so many women.”

Cary Wakefield, chief executive of Ovarian Cancer Action, added: “We are so proud of our Team OCA runners, who have collectively raised more than £55,000.

"The London Marathon is not just a 26.2 mile race, it is months of training and incredible fundraising. Here at Ovarian Cancer Action we are trying to raise £1 million to develop a screening tool to detect ovarian cancer, as there currently isn’t one. Early detection increases a woman’s chances of survival and the money raised by our amazing runners will help us save lives.”

Ms Osborne-Bowring's Justgiving page is still open for donations. Visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/londonmarathonoca