Eastenders star Cheryl Fergison has revealed her secret cancer battle: “I thought I’d die.”
Cheryl, who played Heather Trott in the BBC soap, has opened up about her terrifying health scare.
The actress appeared on the show from 2007 until 2012 and was diagnosed with cancer in 2015.
The 58-year-old who was diagnosed with stage two womb cancer nearly a decade ago, described it as a “horrendous time.”
In an interview with Ok! Magazine, Cheryl said: “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,” she added.
After attending a routine smear test, Cheryl’s results came back clear.
However, after she started experiencing back pain and spotting blood she knew something wasn’t right.
The actress went to her GP with her concerns and got referred for tests and a biopsy at a local hospital in Kent.
Four months later, Cheryl received the heartbreaking news that she had stage two womb cancer.
The mother-of-one described hearing the doctor’s diagnosis as an “out-of-body experience.”
She said: “I was in absolute shock; stunned to the core. I couldn’t believe the doctor was talking about me.”
Following X-rays, it was advised that Cheryl underwent a full hysterectomy as soon as possible.
The actress opened up about how difficult her diagnosis was to accept as she would not be able to carry another child.
The 58-year-old currently lives with her husband of 12 years Yassine and her son Alex, 24, who she shares with her first husband Jamshed Saddiqi.
The actress had only just married Yassine when the diagnosis came and felt devastated that “any thought of having a child together had been taken away.”
