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22. Dr Ellie Cannon

This TV doctor has far more influence on your consultations than you would imagine. As the resident GP for the Mail on Sunday, Sky News Sunrise, Channel 5 News and the Wright Stuff, she speaks to a huge number of patients about their health.

She has certainly been busy this year. She published her second book, fronted multiple national campaigns, spoke at the Women’s Health Conference in Parliament, while continuing to work as a salaried GP.

Published in January, the book Is Your Job Making You Ill? is aimed at helping patients suffering with mental health issues as a result of their work, drawing on her own experiences in general practice and the huge numbers of patients she saw with work-related ill health.

It garnered received positive reviews across the media and also from the BJGP, which praised it as reading like a ‘pleasingly well-structured GP consultation’.

But Dr Cannon has also used her platform to highlight women’s health issues.

In March of this year she was invited to address the Women’s Health Conference about the normalisation of gynaecological symptoms and menstrual health, breaking the language taboo and encouraging women of all ages to speak up about health issues.

Dr Cannon also fronted two Public Health England campaigns – the Be Clear on Cancer Campaign for breast cancer awareness in women over 70, and the Change 4 Life campaign to get children active.

Besides this, she acted as the lead spokesperson for two charity launches; one provides health information for young mothers via an app, and the other encourages women to talk about embarrassing subjects sooner, to aid earlier diagnosis.

Most importantly, of course, she has started blogging for PulseToday, and taken some readers by surprise. As one commenter on her debut blog put it: ‘I’d never really rated Dr Cannon… but this is excellent. I now hold you in high regard.’

Why influential

A strong force in the media, using her platform to break taboos

What others say

‘Busy, chatty, sympathetic and empathetic.’

Random fact

‘This year I was asked to be on Bear Grylls’ Celebrity Island. I said no within two milliseconds because I’m afraid of so many things, including insects and the dark.’