Cheryl Fergison has opened up about her secret cancer battle.
The former EastEnders actress, known for her role as Heather Trott on the hit soap, has revealed she was diagnosed with womb cancer in 2015.
After explaining that she’s now ready to open up about her previous ill health because ‘the time is right’, Cheryl has shared an insight into being diagnosed.
During an interview with OK!, the 58-year-old admitted, “It was a horrendous time. There were some dark moments, especially at night, when I thought, ‘Am I going to die?’ Am I going to leave my husband without a wife, my son without a mum?’”.
“But the time is right to talk about it all now. I’m hoping my story might empower other women. I’ve been through a lot but I’m still here. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.
Reflecting back to when she got her diagnosis, Cheryl revealed, “I’d gone for a regular smear test - which had been clear - but I’d started having backache and then I began spotting blood, which wasn’t normal for me”.
“I just knew something didn’t feel right”, Fergison explained before saying that she was later referred for tests and a biopsy.
Four months after the smear test, Cheryl was told she had Stage 2 cancer of the womb.
“I was in absolute shock; stunned to the core. I couldn’t believe the doctor was talking about me”.
After having MRI scans, and chest X-rays, doctors recommended that Cheryl should have a full hysterectomy within weeks, which left her and her husband Yassine ‘struggling’ to come to terms with the news.
“All I could think was, ‘I have to get this thing out of me’, but it was very difficult. Any thought of Yass and I having a child together had been taken away. We may not have gone down that route, of course, but we’d lost the ability to choose”.
“It brought on early menopause too. In terms of how I saw myself as a woman, it felt as if it had all come to an end”.
The soap star underwent surgery and then had a five week course of radiotherapy. Fergison then revealed, “The initial treatment had got all the cancer”.
Sharing advice to the public, Cheryl stated, “Listen to your body. Even if it’s the smallest concern - go and get checked because if you haven't got health, you've not got no wealth”.
“I’ve come through it and so can others. It’s all about living life now. I’m ready to fly”.
