Beverley Callard has revealed she “lost consciousness” during filming on the set of the Irish soap, Fair City, amid her battle with breast cancer.
The former Coronation Street actor, 69, who joined Fair City as Lily Patterson in January, explained that she passed out for around 10 minutes on set.
Callard – who announced her early stage breast cancer diagnosis in February – begged fans who had had a similar experience to get in touch.
What happened on set
Speaking in an Instagram video on Friday, she said: “I’ve been at work this week, filming the most amazing scenes, really good, great scripts.
“Working with people who are so good, but good fun as well. It was all going swimmingly and then today, I’ve no idea what happened to me but I was all ready to start a new scene.
“We just sat there, getting ready, about to run lines and I sort of… the only way to explain it is I lost consciousness for a few minutes, maybe 10 minutes which was very odd,” she said.
“Because of protocol at work, they had to check me out and everything. An ambulance came, I desperately didn’t want to go to hospital, I recovered and then felt fine again.”
Recovery and health update
Callard said she felt “boiling hot” and went home, having been advised by paramedics to rest for the entire weekend.
She added: “I have to tell you, I feel a complete fraud because I’m home and feel perfectly normal. The only thing that did happen was my blood pressure was through the roof.”
The star explained she has “not been right” since radiotherapy treatment for cancer and continues to suffer “horrendous” nausea occasionally.
She added: “But aside from that, I don’t know what’s going on. I’m at the hospital next week so I’ll probably know more.
“I’m awaiting the results of these other tests, some of these biopsies they’ve taken from my stomach. If anyone else has had this please let me know because I don’t know at all.”
In her caption, Callard wrote: “That was an eventful day at work! Not really something I can explain but I certainly wasn’t expecting a visit from paramedics today.
“I’m feeling fine now… just another sign that something isn’t quite right.”
Radiotherapy and career background
Callard had her last radiotherapy session in July and admitted she felt “a bit numb” and “too tired” to celebrate the milestone.
“I’ve done it, I’ve just finished my last radiotherapy session, fingers crossed,” she said in an Instagram video at the time.
“To be honest, I feel a bit numb. Yesterday I really struggled, but today I’ve been fine. I’ve got to see the professor again in two months and then I’ll know a lot more and mammograms and oncologists and all that, but radiotherapy is finished for now, so I’m really thrilled.
“I’m not going to celebrate tonight, we’re too tired, we can’t be bothered. I’m going to put scruffy clothes on and just sit and watch TV with a cup of tea.”
The actress is best known for her role as Liz McDonald in Coronation Street. She played the character on and off from 1989 to 2020, featuring in more than 2,000 episodes.
In 2020, she took part in I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! and finished in fourth place. Last year, she returned to the jungle to film I’m A Celebrity... South Africa but was forced to leave the camp after collapsing.
The episode was filmed in September 2025, before Callard received her diagnosis. She later explained that she did not know she had cancer at the time.
