Bafta-winning actress Marisa Abela has shared the profound fear she experienced after a shock cancer diagnosis at just 23, admitting her biggest worry was whether she would ever be able to speak again.
The shocking diagnosis during a pandemic
In 2020, at the age of 23, Marisa Abela was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. The rising star, now 29, received the news in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic after initially attending hospital with symptoms she believed were linked to the virus, including brain fog. Instead, doctors discovered a tumour on her thyroid that required immediate and major surgery.
The procedure, an eight-hour total thyroidectomy, involved removing the entire thyroid gland and approximately 19 lymph nodes from her neck. Abela has described the period as "bleak", compounded by the isolating pandemic restrictions that meant she had to face the operation alone.
'The scariest thing': The fight for her voice
Speaking candidly on the How To Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast, Abela revealed that the potential impact on her voice was her primary concern. "That was the scariest thing," she confessed, explaining that surgeons had to navigate delicate nerves connected to her voice box.
"I had to sign a form that said if they cut the nerve that’s attached to my voice box, I’m not going to sue them," she recalled. The moment she regained consciousness after the marathon surgery, her first instinct was to test her vocal cords. "I remember when I woke up, the first thing I did was go, 'maaa', because I just wanted to make sure I could talk."
Beyond her voice, the actress also worried about the visible scar on her neck and the lifelong hormonal implications of having her thyroid removed, admitting the aftermath of the diagnosis was "very scary".
Recovery, support, and continued success
Abela's recovery took place in a hospital burns unit due to a lack of intensive care beds during the pandemic. Through her ordeal, she credited her now-husband, actor Jamie Bogyo, whom she married in 2025, as an "immense help" and "the most supportive person in every way".
Despite the health crisis, her career has flourished. In 2025, she won a Bafta for Best Actress for her role as Yasmin Kara-Hanani in the hit BBC drama Industry. Her film credits include Barbie (2023), She Is Love (2022), and her starring role as Amy Winehouse in the 2024 biopic Back to Black.
Abela's full interview, detailing her journey from diagnosis to recovery, is available now on the How to Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast.
