Tracey Emin said her cancer has “gone” after her latest set of scans were all clear. 

The artist was diagnosed with a “really rapid, really aggressive” bladder cancer early last year, having discovered a tumour while working on a painting of a malignant lump.

The 57-year-old – who is known for works such as her unmade bed and the tent Everyone I Have Ever Slept With – had surgery last summer, when many of her reproductive organs were removed.

Tracey was also fitted with a urostomy bag, which replaces the bladder and urinary system.

In an interview with Newsnight set to air on Friday, Tracey said she has reached a “big, big milestone” and last week her three-monthly scans were “all clear”.

She said she will now move to annual cancer scans.

Tracey told the programme that she is not currently painting but hoped to return to doing so in the future, adding: “I’m not painting because I’m using my willpower to stay alive. That’s what I’m doing.

“I never realised how much I wanted to live until I thought I was going to die.”

Tracey Emin’s interview on Newsnight airs on Friday at 10.45pm on BBC Two.