Two women are tackling one of society’s last great health taboos head-on, warning that embarrassment around basic bodily functions is not just awkward but potentially deadly. Founders of the gut health brand We Are Regular, Holly Brooke and Joely Walker, are on a mission to normalise talking about bowel habits, arguing that the entrenched silence is stopping women from seeking help for serious conditions, including the UK’s second biggest cancer killer.
Their campaign springs from deeply personal experience. Both founders have grappled with their own digestive issues, from chronic bloating to severe constipation. Holly Brooke revealed that at her worst, she would only have a bowel movement once every seven to ten days. “I was told again and again that this was my normal,” she says. “But I knew something wasn’t right.” Alongside Joely Walker, she launched We Are Regular—offering a supplement powder with ten key ingredients—with the goal of making women feel “confident, comfortable, and energised” and, more fundamentally, to break the stigma.
“We’re taught from a young age that it’s dirty and shameful,” Walker explains. “It’s seen as unfeminine, which is obviously nonsense, but that stigma sticks.” Their own research, a survey of 100 women, suggests this taboo has a powerful hold: 74% of respondents said they wanted to be more regular, but many felt unable to discuss it openly, even with partners. “There’s a huge gap between what people are experiencing and what they feel comfortable saying out loud,” Walker observes.
This discomfort is widespread. Broader research indicates that a third of Britons are embarrassed to talk about digestive health symptoms, a figure that rises to over half of 18-24 year olds. The stigma is so potent that people are twice as likely to be embarrassed to admit to having soiled themselves than to confess to debt or mental health struggles. For younger adults, over 60% feel uncomfortable discussing potential bowel cancer symptoms with a doctor, a dangerous reluctance that can delay critical diagnosis.
The Life-Saving Reason to Speak Up
This culture of silence collides with a stark public health reality. Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK and its second biggest cancer killer, with approximately 46,600 people diagnosed and 17,700 dying from it each year. It is the third most common cancer in women. The crucial message from health bodies like the NHS and Cancer Research UK is that early detection transforms outcomes: if caught at the earliest stage, over nine in ten cases are treatable.
This is why Brooke and Walker are using Bowel Cancer Awareness Month to promote their “Check Your Poo” campaign. “The reality is, it’s one of the easiest ways to spot changes in your health,” Walker states. “But people either don’t know what to look for or feel too uncomfortable to check.” Public awareness of the key signs remains worryingly low. A YouGov survey found only 12% of people in Great Britain recognised bleeding from the bottom as a symptom, and just 22% were aware that a persistent change in bowel habit could indicate cancer.
Medical guidance outlines several specific red flags that should prompt a visit to the GP. These include persistent changes in bowel habits lasting longer than three weeks, such as diarrhoea, constipation, or stools that become narrower. The appearance of blood in the stool or rectal bleeding—whether bright red or dark—is another critical sign. Unexplained abdominal pain, cramping, or bloating, a persistent feeling of not having emptied the bowels fully, alongside unexplained weight loss and fatigue, complete the list of major symptoms. A simple mnemonic used by some campaigns is ABCD: Altered Bowel habits, Blood in poo, Cramping or abdominal pain, and Dignity or Discomfort.
“Don’t be alarmed, be informed,” Walker advises. “Having symptoms doesn’t mean you have cancer, but knowing what’s normal for you is really important.” The NHS runs a bowel cancer screening programme for those aged 50-74, though uptake is a concern with around a third of people not returning their home testing kits. With an estimated 54% of bowel cancer cases being preventable, the role of awareness and early action is paramount.
To shatter the taboo, the founders employ unflinching humour, from asking strangers in the street about their habits to holding signs that read “Have you pooed today?”. “It sounds silly, but humour really helps,” they say. “Once people start talking about it, you realise everyone has a story.” Their approach has attracted celebrity attention, with endorsements from figures like Vogue Williams and Kimberley Walsh.
Looking ahead, Brooke and Walker hope to take their message into schools, aiming to educate the next generation before shame takes root. The need is evident, with bladder and bowel difficulties affecting an estimated one in twelve UK children, leading to stigma and missed school. They see their work as part of a broader shift, alongside celebrities like Nadia Sawalha and Alexandra Burke speaking out about conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome. “We want the next generation to grow up without that shame,” Walker adds. “Because ultimately, it’s just a normal bodily function, and talking about it could genuinely save lives.”