Coronation Street actresses Tracy Shaw and Sally Ann Matthews reunited for an afternoon out, as Shaw continues her breast cancer treatment. Shaw, 52, played Maxine Peacock on the ITV soap from 1995 to 2003. She announced her diagnosis earlier this year and has been updating fans on her progress.
Afternoon of laughter and nostalgia
On Friday, Shaw posted a photo on Instagram of herself with Matthews, 55, who portrayed Jenny Bradley on and off for nearly 40 years. Although their characters never interacted on screen, the two met while touring the play Mum's The Word in 2010. Shaw captioned the image: "Never stopped laughing #sallyannmatthews. Meet for an hr Brunch led to lunch 3 hrs of glorious laughter. Homemade ginger biscuits, and sunflowers, I was spoilt. We met on tour years ago and we haven’t stopped laughing since. Love you Sal."
Emotional preparation for the outing
Earlier that day, Shaw shared an emotional video on her Instagram Story, describing how getting ready to go out felt reminiscent of the COVID-19 lockdowns. She said: "Good morning everyone. I've put some makeup on because I'm going to meet a friend who is going to collect me and we're gonna go for a drink. I wanna share about how when you are at home and then you go out...do you remember the COVID days? All of a sudden we started going out in the world...that's how it feels and I feel really emotional about meeting my friend because I haven't seen her for so long and I've just spent some time putting makeup on but I'll probably cry so that'll come off and I do feel like a painted doll!"
Treatment side effects and honest updates
Shaw, who also pursued a brief pop career with a cover of Lonnie Gordon's Happenin' All Over Again and appeared in Casualty, Doctors, and theatre productions, has been candid about her chemotherapy side effects. She previously told followers she was "all over the place" due to thrush, shingles, and other medication effects. She explained: "Because of all the medications, thrush, and shingles, I'm all over the place. The smallest things can affect us and this, setting myself, starting the day, listening to the birds and seeing the sunrise and be amongst nature at its best. Also, it's really hot and I have to get the dogs out and I've been really locked in the chemo land of not being able to go out because there isn't a toilet that can actually take what I need now. That's a bit frank but that's the truth. So, today, we've gone to their favourite park and that will be them for the day, and me for the day."
For support with breast cancer, visit Breast Cancer Support.
