There were naked breasts on morning TV, and we're all cheering about it.

Morning television isn’t always where hard-hitting journalism happens.

Generally, it’s lighthearted banter and musical interludes from performers fresh from a tour of the local RSLs, interspersed with infomercials for leggings that look like jeans (but not really).

Yesterday morning on Studio 10, though, we got a lot more than we bargained for, in the form of a pair of human breasts, without the nipple blurred and nary a push-up bra in sight.

The purpose of the segment wasn’t to titillate or amuse — it was to help save lives.

Watch the segment here… Post continues after video.

The model to whom the breasts belong calmly demonstrated the correct way to conduct a self breast-examination.

It’s something a lot of women either don’t know how to do, or do incorrectly. We should all get a handle on it, though because one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer before they reach the age of 85, according to the McGrath Foundation.

Women over the age of 50 are encouraged to have a mammogram every two years, but as with all forms of cancer, the earlier cancer is detected, the better the chance of survival.

Rob McKnight, the executive producer of Studio 10, wrote in the Daily Telegraph that he discovered in the show’s morning production meeting that most of the women on the team were not sure how to check their breasts properly.

“If these young, smart, professional women don’t know how to do it, then I figured there would be a lot of women out there in the same boat,” he wrote.

The idea of having a live breast exam was suggested by reporter Angela Bishop, who has worked for the Breast Cancer Foundation for 22 years.

Overly sexualised and under-appreciated, it’s likely we’ve never seen naked breasts in this context on morning television before.

The very hint of areola can get a woman kicked off social media, while the size, shape and consistency of our breasts are the subject of constant speculation and discussion.

So Studio 10‘s segment was a very welcome — and very helpful — change.

Now, go check your breasts.