Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Former Buffy The Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar is championing a major breast cancer charity as a tribute to pals who have survived the disease.

The actress is urging fans to buy a new Lilly Pulitzer breast cancer awareness scarf at Bloomingdale’s stores across the country, after the disease ravaged some friends of hers.

She explains, "Breast cancer has hit me very close to home - I have six friends under the age of 45 who are survivors.

"When breast cancer is caught in its earliest stages, the five-year survival rate for young women is 82 percent. It makes you realize that you’re never too young to start checking yourself."

Gellar will be appearing in a series of print ads wearing the fashionable scarf in a bid to boost sales. Proceeds go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.