Hollyoaks star Abi Phillips has revealed she’s been diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
The 28-year-old, who is best known for playing Liberty Savage in the Channel 4 soap, took to Instagram on Monday to share her diagnosis.
Alongside photos of herself in her hospital gown and with a plaster on her neck, the actress wrote: “So, I took these pictures before my scans and after my biopsy having a good old laugh about how ridiculously dressed up I looked in the hospital before a gig, not expecting for one moment to get the news that I did two weeks later…”
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Abi continued: “I’d previously been sent away from the doctors after having found two lumps in my neck, they’d passed it off and said I was ‘young’ and it wouldn’t be anything and I was ‘probably getting over a cold’ or my body was ‘fighting something off’.”
“As much as that’s what I wanted to hear I wanted to get everything checked for my own peace of mind. I booked in with a specialist and immediately she told me she was very concerned due to where my lumps were located and referred me for an urgent biopsy and scans.”
“Fast forward two weeks and just before Easter weekend I had an appointment to see a consultant at the QE hospital who sat me down and told me that I had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and that I would need surgery and radiotherapy treatment.”
“I never thought I would be told that I have cancer at the age of 28, you never think it’s going to happen to you.”
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“I wouldn’t have taken things further with seeing a specialist if I hadn’t seen @demijones1 post as her lumps were in the exact same place as mine,” she added, referring to Love Island star Demi Jones.
Abi urged her followers: “If ever you find a lump or something unusual on your body, never just think it’s nothing, don’t be told that you’re fine by the GP and you’re ‘young’, always get things checked out by a specialist if you can and insist on tests even if it turns out to be nothing, as catching things early is crucial for a good prognosis 💗”
“this time next week I’ll be on the road to recovery after my operation 💖”
