Story By: Ginger Mahotchina, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Golder’s News And Sport

This is the Olympic gold-medallist figure skater who has been able to return home after removing her gallbladder as doctors found up to seven tumours.

Olympic gold-medallist Tatiana Totmianina, 37, was operated on in a hospital in the Russian capital Moscow.

Doctors found the figure skater had tumours in her gallbladder during a routine check-up two years ago.

They decided to closely monitor her gallbladder and see how it developed.

Doctors found that the number of tumours had significantly increased just a year later and the athlete’s condition deteriorated which is when doctors decided to operate.

Totmianina’s husband Alexei Yagudin, 39, himself an Olympic gold medallist in figure skating, spoke to local media and described the difficult situation saying: “Tatiana felt pretty bad for a month.

“She immediately went to hospital after touring in Yalta and returning to Moscow.

“She was told that she may have to remove her gallbladder as she showed some indications of cancer.”

Local media report the doctors found as many as seven tumours, however, they were not able to confirm the tumours were malignant at the time of their discovery.

Yagudin explained the tough diagnosis by saying: “She was told there was a 50-50 chance.

“They also said the gallbladder will have to be removed because until it is, the presence of cancer cannot be determined with 100 percent accuracy.”

The 37-year-old was successfully operated on and her gallbladder was removed. After further investigations, doctors reportedly did not find cancer.

Yagudin suggested the skater’s illness may have been caused by injuries she suffered while practising her sport however it is unclear what the illness was or its cause.

Totmainina retired from competing in 2006 but enjoyed a successful career as a professional pair figure skater.

She is a five-time European Champion, two-time World Champion and won the gold medal in the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin with her partner Maxim Marinin, 42.

Totmainina returned home after her operation and is recovering with her daughters Elizabeth, 10, and Michelle, 4 and her husband, himself a four-time World Champion and 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games gold medalist Russian figure skater.

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