Former Coronation Street actress Tracy Shaw, best known for playing Maxine Peacock, has announced she is battling breast cancer. The 52-year-old shared the news in an emotional video on Instagram on Friday night, stating: “My diagnosis of breast cancer. So the journey begins.”
Shaw, who played the hairdresser from 1995 until her character’s murder in 2003, revealed she is due to undergo chemotherapy for five months before surgery. She explained that doctors at the Royal Berkshire Hospital found HER2 in her cells, a protein that can promote cancer growth.
In the video, Shaw said: “I have come on just to explain a situation that is happening in my life. I have been diagnosed with breast cancer. I have to have chemo for five months, then hopefully surgery to have lumps removed and take the lymph glands out.”
Her post was met with an outpouring of support from former co-stars, including Sally Ann Matthews, Samia Longchambon, Denise Welch, and Shobna Gulati, who sent messages of love and encouragement.
