Why We Practise What We Preach: The Importance of Critical Illness Cover…

As financial advisers, we help people plan for the unexpected every single day. And the advice we give our clients is the advice we follow ourselves.

When my husband and I bought our first house together — long before I worked in financial services — we were advised to take out enough life insurance to cover the mortgage and were also recommended to take out critical illness cover to protect us in case we were unable to work for a year or two.

Ten years and two kids later (plus a diploma in financial planning), we moved house. With that came a bigger mortgage and higher bills. So, we increased our cover. Insurance typically becomes more expensive as you get older, so instead of replacing our original policies, we took out additional ones to cover the gap. It was an extra cost, but we implemented it hoping it would be the biggest waste of money we’d ever spend.

It turned out to be a necessity.

In January 2024, at the age of 45, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I’m one of the lucky ones. It was caught early, treatment was minimal, and I’m currently cancer-free. The likelihood is that it won’t come back (she says, with everything crossed). But even in this best-case scenario, I still had to attend multiple hospital appointments, blood tests, MRIs, scans, mammograms, then surgery, followed by weeks of radiotherapy. And even now, I have regular check-ups and appointments.

Then, in March this year, my husband was diagnosed with bowel cancer — at just 41 years old. You really can’t make this stuff up. He’s fit, healthy, and with no family history of bowel cancer. It was a blow. But again, we’re fortunate. It was caught early and hasn’t spread. Surgery should be relatively straightforward, and he will (she says, again, with everything crossed) be cancer-free.

But even with early diagnosis, he still has months of treatment and recovery ahead. This is the part we weren’t prepared for last year, but we know better now. All the things that come with a cancer diagnosis — the endless hospital visits, the days you're too exhausted to work, the childcare juggle, the sheer cost of living while trying to recover.

That’s where critical illness cover makes all the difference.

It means you can take proper time off work without panicking about the bills.
You can get extra childcare support when you need it.
You can cover additional costs — like travel to appointments, parking, and more — without a second thought.
You can afford small comforts that make a big difference, like help with cleaning or food deliveries when cooking feels impossible.
You’re not draining your savings or worrying about your children’s future.
Most importantly, you can focus entirely on getting better — not on financial stress.

And when (hopefully) the treatment ends and you get the all-clear, you can afford to celebrate — because you will absolutely deserve it.

As a financial adviser, I talk to clients all the time about protecting themselves and their families. But going through this personally has shown me just how essential critical illness cover really is.

It’s not just a "nice to have." It’s not just a box to tick.

It’s the thing that gives you the breathing space to heal when everything else feels overwhelming.

If you’ve been putting off getting cover, please don’t wait.

It’s the safety net you hope you’ll never need — but if you do, you’ll be so grateful it’s there.

If you’d like to speak to a member of the team about your protection, please get in touch…