Beverley Callard has shared an emotional update with fans following her cancer battle, after learning that the disease had spread to a lymph node. The 69-year-old actress, best known for playing Liz McDonald on Coronation Street, announced in February that she had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and has been transparent about her journey ever since.
Positive News from Tests
In March, the former I'm A Celebrity...South Africa star underwent her first operation. After a delay in receiving the results, she discovered around six weeks later that while the cancer had been removed, it had spread to a lymph node. Further tests were conducted in the United States, and on Thursday, Beverley took to Instagram to share the update from her new home in Ireland, where she recently relocated with her husband Jon McEwan to star in the BBC soap Fair City.
She said: "I've got absolutely great news. One of the lymph nodes that they'd sent over for testing to see how aggressive the cancer would be, and it's on low numbers, which is really good. That means I can begin the radiotherapy very soon, which I'm pleased about. So the next step is coming ahead. Thank you for all your messages. I'm sending loads of love. I am popping champagne! Wahey!"
Recent Struggles
This update comes days after the star was forced to pull out of the live final of I'm A Celebrity...South Africa due to her health. She admitted to feeling "wiped out" after a late night for a virtual interview via Zoom. "The internet went down half way through so I didn't finish. Did my make-up and stuck my eyelashes on and all that and it was hardly worth it, but never mind. I was wiped for days - does anyone else feel like that with one late night? Is that what cancer does to you sometimes?" she said.
Diagnosis Revelation
Beverley first revealed her diagnosis in February during an appearance on RTE’s Late Late Show. She explained that she received the news just minutes before going on set for her new soap role. "I've had some tests just before I left the UK, and literally, 15, 20 minutes before I was in my dressing room at Fair City, getting ready to go on... And my consultant rang me and said, ‘you’ve got to come back to the UK’. I said, ‘Well, I can’t possibly, I’ve just taken a new job’. I said ‘I’m away for a month’, and I was diagnosed with breast cancer. But I’m fine, I’m absolutely fine. My head was a bit mashed for the first few days. It’s very early stages, and I’m along with thousands of other women as well."
If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Breast Cancer Support.
