A well-known travel adviser who is battling ovarian cancer for the second time has had to put treatment for the disease on hold as she prepares for a heart operation.

Brenda Warwick said she was left anxious at the thought of the procedure, which will cost a six-figure sum, to repair her left mitral heart valve.

The surgery will take place at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Ms Warwick, 84, has had to pause immunotherapy for stage 4 ovarian cancer in order to proceed with the surgery.

She was diagnosed with the same condition, then at stage 3, in 1997.

It was a routine echocardiogram by her oncologist in May that revealed the valve was seriously enlarged.

This will be the second time she has had a heart operation. In 2004, doctors discovered a similar issue.

Ms Warwick, who still works part-time as a luxury travel specialist, is to take out a loan from The Lady Cubitt Compassionate Association, a charity that provides assistance to residents who need to travel abroad for medical treatment.

Meanwhile, a family friend in the US has set up an online fundraiser to help cover some of the costs.

Ms Warwick was at Brigham’s last week for an transesophageal echocardiogram and a CT scan of her heart, before surgery planned for the middle of August.

Ms Warwick said she was “anxious” after never “planning to be in debt at this age and stage”.

However, she added she is committed to “trying to keep positive”.

The fundraising page can be accessed through gofundme and searching for Brenda Warwick Bermuda.