Coronation Street legend Beverley Callard has shared a mixed bag of news as she continues her brave battle with breast cancer. The actress, who announced her diagnosis in February after relocating to Dublin, has been updating fans throughout her treatment journey.
A Shocking Diagnosis Before Filming
Beverley revealed that she received the cancer diagnosis just 15 to 20 minutes before filming her first scenes for Irish soap Fair City. Speaking on RTÉ’s The Late Late Show with Patrick Kielty, she recounted: 'I was in my dressing room at Fair City, getting ready to go on, and I was quite nervous. 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’m away for a month.''
She confirmed her diagnosis: 'I was diagnosed with breast cancer. But I’m fine. I’m absolutely fine. It’s very early stages.' She added that she would travel back to the UK for treatment, including an operation and radiotherapy, before returning to Fair City.
Mixed News on Instagram
Taking to Instagram, Beverley provided an update with a video captioned: 'A mixed day today, some positive and some not so positive! Getting ready to go back to work next week but first…2 hospital appointments.'
In the video, she said: 'Well, I’ve got sort of good news, well definitely good news, but maybe bad news, but I’m not sure yet. The good news is my new script arrived yesterday in preparation for me going back to work at the end of next week. So I’m excited, I can’t wait to go back to work, and the scripts are fantastic.'
However, she revealed troubling symptoms: 'But the negative side is I’ve had quite a lot of pain in my right leg. I had to go to the GP today and it’s a suspected blood clot which can happen if you’ve got cancer and if you’ve had surgery. Now it might not be, but you know you think, 'Oh no, please, no, no, no, no, no, no.''
She added that she had hospital appointments scheduled for tests and to see the radiotherapist.
Positive Update: No Blood Clot
After a long day of tests, Beverley shared another update. She said: 'So far, blood pressure done. That’s high, of course, because I’m nervous. They’ve taken blood, blood oxygen levels, and now they’re going to see if they can fit me in for a scan.'
Later, she confirmed: 'Good news is it’s definitely not a blood clot. They did an ultrasound, they did everything, every test going they did. And apparently…wait for it…it’s a cyst, but it’s quite common. Not pleased I’ve got something quite common, but there we go.' She joked about the pain at the back of her knee.
She then visited the radiotherapist and learned her treatment plan: 'I’ll be having 10 days of radiotherapy, 5 consecutive days, then a weekend off, then five more days. I’m not sure when it starts yet, they’ll let me know.' She also asked about working and was told she could, but not to move any furniture.
Beverley remains positive, thanking fans for their support as she continues her treatment.
