On Boxing Day in 2006 Annabelle Vassallo buried her beloved grandmother in the morning and was diagnosed with cancer in the afternoon. Four years later Ariadne Massa finds that although the cancer is threatening to cripple her, it cannot dent her steely spirit and indomitable faith.

In a wide-ranging interview in today's The Sunday Times, Annabelle takes readers on a journey of emotions that ebb and flow between trying to be realistic about her condition and letting her trademark positivity shine through.

She goes from laughing about the weekly conversations she has with her tumour to sharing the agonising pain that leaves her shattered.

She battles every day not to wallow in self-pity and forces herself to get out of bed, even though her strength fails her and she has nothing in particular to look forward to.

"My energy fails me; even talking is an effort these days. At the end of the day I want to live. there were times I willed death to take me away, but I can count these occasions on one hand. Life is beautiful, despite the state I'm in," she says.

Attempting to looking on the bright side she is appreciative of every hour she gets, living day by day and focusing on little projects at a time. Her next goal is to remain on earth until March to witness the birth of her niece, who is going to be called Ana after her, and then maybe her 40th birthday on April 19.

"I hope to still be around, but for me these dates seem far away. Then again, the doctor in the UK gave me two to three months to live... A year has passed since then and Christmas is here. It's a great satisfaction to have lived this long."

See full interview in The Sunday Times