Former Coronation Street actress Tracy Shaw has been left in tears as she shared the honest reality of her 'brutal' cancer battle, having recently undergone surgery. The 53-year-old, best known for playing Maxine Peacock in the ITV soap from 1995 until 2003, revealed in April that she would need five months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer.
Since then, Shaw has been keeping fans updated on her journey, including what she has faced during chemotherapy treatment.
Recent Surgery and Recovery
Last week, the actress revealed her tumours had been removed and said she was "feeling great" after the procedure. In a video wearing a dinosaur onesie seemingly from the 90s children's series Barney & Friends, she declared: "The tumours are out, they're gone! They're gone! They're gone, they're gone, they're gone! I'm feeling great, it all went well."
She thanked her followers for their support, saying: "Thank you so much for all your messages and all your love. Greatly received and really helped me through it all. Everything went really well and I'm going to fill you in on all the descriptions."
Shaw also praised the hospital staff, noting: "The surgeons were amazing, I ended up having three surgeons and all the nurses, all the staff, everybody. And I had the best cup of tea and slice of toast when I came around out of theatre."
Honest Update on Treatment
In her latest video, shared on Thursday (October 21), Shaw said she wanted to be honest as she prepared for more treatment, emotionally admitting she doesn't think of herself as "fighting" her illness anymore.
"Just a little honest update. I'm going in for my Phesgo today, and I just cried," she shared. "It was supposed to be yesterday, but... I didn't know. Anyway, I just cried because... That was the reality. The reality is that on we go. And my honest truth is... yesterday, I didn't want to have the injection and feel all the side effects again so close to surgery."
She explained: "I don't like saying the word 'fight' because I don't believe I'm fighting it, because I believe I'm just being. But there are days like yesterday where I wanted a break from hospital. I want a break from being in the chemo ward."
Staying Positive Through the Journey
Despite the difficulties, Shaw tried to stay positive, saying it was "onwards and upwards". She shared: "The Saturday night after my surgery, you know, I was bouncing about, playing football with my son's girlfriend, and I realised that in order for me to rest and heal, it's a slow process that I need to be able to gauge where I'm at pain-wise."
She added: "I know I can do it. It's just that mental block sometimes that you hit halfway through where you're just like, 'Oh, no more, please give me a break!' But I'm going in. And it will be done. And I will continue having them every three weeks for as long as that takes—possibly a year. And in three weeks' time, I will have the results, and I'll know what other type of chemo I'm going to have to face again. Fact."
During her time on Coronation Street, Shaw's character Maxine worked with Denise Osbourne (Denise Black) and later Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls) in their salon. She was married to Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold), but had a dramatic pregnancy story following an affair with Matt Ramsden (Stephen Beckett). Maxine was infamously murdered by the villainous Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) when she walked in on him attacking Emily Bishop (Eileen Derbyshire) with a crowbar. The episode was watched by over 17 million people across the UK.
