Beverley Callard has said sheâs feeling âpositive and strongâ after being diagnosed with breast cancer as she shared a health update to fans.
The Coronation Street legend, 68, revealed she is battling the disease during a chat show appearance in Ireland to promote her new role on soap opera Fair City.
Beverley had reassured fans the cancer was caught early, but would need to return to the UK for radiotherapy and surgery.
In a fresh update on Monday, the actress told fans she is now back home in Norfolk after taking the ferry with her husband Jon McEwan and their dogs.
Speaking on camera, Beverley said: âI really want to say thank you so much to everyone for your wonderful messages. Everybody has been truly fantastic.
âAnd I also want to say Iâm feeling really positive and Iâm very strong. I begin hospital stuff and everything now Iâm home.
Beverley Callard has said sheâs feeling âpositive and strongâ after being diagnosed with breast cancer as she shared a health update to fans
The Coronation Street legend, 68, revealed she is battling the disease during a chat show appearance in Ireland to promote her new role on soap opera Fair City (pictured on Friday)
Announcing her diagnosis last Friday on The Late Late Show to host Patrick Kielty, Beverley revealed she received the news just 20 minutes before filming her first scenes in her new role
âEverything begins this week. On Wednesday, theyâre testing lymph nodes and lymph glands and all of that and I will keep everybody updated.
âIâm so appreciative of all the love thatâs coming, thank you.â
Announcing her diagnosis last Friday on The Late Late Show to host Patrick Kielty, Beverley revealed she received the news just 20 minutes before filming her first scenes in her new role.
She explained:Â âIâd had some tests just before I left the UK and literally 15 to 20 minutes before [her first scene] I was in my dressing room at Fair City, getting ready to go on, and I was quite nervous and thinking, âI hope everybody thinks Iâm all right, whateverâ.
âAnd my consultant rang me and said, âyouâve got to come back to the UKâ. I said, âwell I canât possibly, you know, Iâve just taken a new job Iâm away for a monthâ.â
Beverley added: âIâm fine. Iâm absolutely fine. My head was a bit mashed for the first few days. Itâs very early stages, and Iâm along with, you know, thousands of other women as well.â
The soap star has signed up to play Lily, the long-lost mother to already established Fair City character Gwen (Emily Lamey) on the RTà show.
Previously released promotional pictures show Beverley getting into character, with the star wearing a black leather jacket in one.
Beverley played the iconic Liz McDonald on and off in the ITV soap from 1989 until 2020 (pictured in 2010)
The soap star has signed up to play Lily, the long-lost mother to already established Fair City character Gwen (Emily Lamey) on the RTĂ show
Last month Beverley was forced to hit back at claims she was on weight-loss jabs after showing off her slim frame
Read More
Beverley Callard, 68, reveals she has been diagnosed with breast cancer
Another shows the actress dressed in a cream ruffled jacket and denim jumpsuit as she poses next to a âWelcome to Carrigstownâ sign.
Last month Beverley was forced to hit back at claims she was on weight-loss jabs after showing off her slim frame.
In a video to fans addressing her weight loss, she said she has been âworking her a**e offâ her whole life and has been heavily involved in fitness.
Beverley confirmed that her incredible physique was not because of âany weight loss jabsâ but was just her hard work.
She went on to say that she âwould not knock anybodyâ for using the jabs and urged people âto do what they need to doâ.
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?
What is breast cancer?
It comes from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.
When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue it is called âinvasiveâ. Some people are diagnosed with âcarcinoma in situâ, where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.
Most cases develop in those over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare.
Staging indicates how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.
The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.
What causes breast cancer?
A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply âout of controlâ.
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid-filled cysts, which are benign.
The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammogram, a special X-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.
If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest X-ray.
How is breast cancer treated?
Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments are used.
- Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour.
- Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
- Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying.
- Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the âfemaleâ hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.
How successful is treatment?
The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure.
The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71 means more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
