Coronation Street star Beverley Callard has shared some fantastic news amid her cancer journey, which has had her 'popping the champagne'. The Liz McDonald actress revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer in February, before undergoing surgery.
The actress was in Dublin ahead of filming for Irish soap Fair City when she received a call from her consultant, asking her to return to England for treatment, which included tests on her lymph nodes. This weekend, she shared an update with her social media followers, and it was 'great news'.
'I've been waiting for my results, as you know,' she said in a video posted to her Instagram account. 'We'd sent one of the lymph nodes that had cancer in over to America for testing to see how aggressive the cancer would be, and they've told me it's on low numbers, so that's really good.'
Beverley went on to explain that this meant she would be able to go ahead with the next stage of her treatment plan, which is radiotherapy, and admitted that she is 'pleased'. Celebrating the good news with husband Jon McEwan, Beverley raised a toast to 'the next step' with a glass of champagne.
The comments section of the post was quickly filled by well-wishes from celebrity friends and fans alike. 'So proud of you Beverley,' Loose Women and soap star Denise Welch wrote, while writer Russell T Davies added: 'Wonderful news!' 'So happy for you queen Bev,' I'm a Celebrity star GK Barry said.
Beverley has kept fans updated all the way through her journey, sharing the highs and the lows. Following the champagne celebration, she popped back online to reveal that the champagne had left her 'really tired'. 'I've not really spoken to anyone for a couple of days just because when I got the good news that I can go ahead with radiotherapy, we opened the champagne and had two and a half glasses, and it's wiped me out for two days!' She went on to assure her followers that she was 'feeling fine', but was going to get an early night.
Amid her cancer journey, Beverley has returned to Ireland to continue filming her stint in Fair City, where she is taking on the role of Gwen Connolly's (Emily Lamey) long-lost mother, Lily. The character has been described as 'quirky, unpredictable and sharp as a tack', with Fair City's Executive Producer Brigie de Courcy saying that she was 'delighted' to be welcoming Beverley to a new part of soapland.
Of course, Coronation Street fans will best remember Beverley as the iconic landlady of the Rovers Return, Liz McDonald. Mum to Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson), fans have long been calling for her to return to the cobbles, with Bev uttering the classic line, 'never say never'. Most recently, she has appeared on I'm A Celeb, but was forced to cut her time in the jungle short for health reasons. She also had to miss the live final, which left her 'gutted'.
