Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley, who plays Mandy Dingle, has explained why she will not undergo cancer screening, despite losing her mother to breast cancer. The 47-year-old star's mother, Cath, died from the disease in 2012 at the age of 58.
Riley, whose family has a history of cancer including both great-grandmothers having breast cancer and three grandparents dying from other forms, said she opts for an annual mammogram but refuses genetic testing. 'I don't want to be that person that lives with that for the rest of my life,' she told The Mirror.
Her comments come after a recent Emmerdale storyline saw the Dingle family warned they could carry a faulty cancer gene. Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) revealed she had inherited the BRCA2 gene, urging relatives to get tested. Riley said she supports the plot's aim to raise awareness but stands by her personal choice.
'It's my business... people don't know what it's like to be me and live with the gene pool that I live with,' she stated. Riley, an ambassador for Breast Cancer Now, admitted filming the storyline has been difficult due to its personal resonance.
