Coronation Street icon Beverley Callard, renowned for her long-running portrayal of Liz McDonald, has been diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 68. The actress received the devastating news in January 2026, a mere twenty minutes before she was scheduled to commence her new role on the popular Irish television soap opera, Fair City.
Shocking Diagnosis Timing
Callard disclosed the diagnosis during an interview on RTE on Friday, 6 February 2026. She recounted the moment her consultant called, stating, "I've had some tests just before I left the UK, and literally, 15, 20 minutes before I was in my dressing room at Fair City, getting ready to go on, and I was quite nervous... And my consultant rang me and said, 'you've got to come back to the UK.' I said, 'Well, I can't possibly, I've just taken a new job'. I was diagnosed with breast cancer." The actress is now set to return to the United Kingdom for further medical examinations and will require both surgery and radiotherapy as part of her treatment plan.
Previous Cancer Battle and Health Challenges
This is not the first time Beverley Callard has faced a cancer diagnosis. At the young age of 32, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, which occurred only fifteen months after the birth of her second child, Josh. The illness necessitated a hysterectomy. Reflecting on that period years later, Callard admitted to feeling it was "fate," telling the Mirror, "I was very ill when I was pregnant. I got cervical cancer when Josh was 15 months old. And all I could think was, 'Oh, my God, that is fate'. You know, someone was smiling on me and looking after me."
Physical and Mental Health Struggles
Beyond her cancer battles, the actress has endured other significant health issues. In 2019, she suffered a serious hip injury that forced her to abandon her intensive workout regimen, a particularly difficult adjustment for someone who previously worked as an aerobics instructor before achieving television fame.
Callard has also been open about her mental health challenges. She experienced a nervous breakdown in 2009, leading to admission to a psychiatric hospital. Over a decade later, she continued to manage her condition with medication, telling OK! magazine in 2022, "I still have to take medication, but I'm in a really good place now, and I'm very lucky because I've got great doctors." Her candidness about these struggles highlights the multifaceted nature of her health journey.
