Beverley Callard has candidly admitted to feeling 'shy and vulnerable' as she prepared to undergo breast cancer treatment. The actress, 69, revealed earlier this year that she had been diagnosed with the early stages of breast cancer and has been keeping fans updated on the situation ever since.
Radiotherapy Preparation
The Coronation Street legend, who starred as Liz McDonald on the ITV soap on and off for 30 years, recently relocated to Ireland with her husband Jon McEwan so she could star in RTÉ soap Fair City. She took to social media on Thursday evening to explain how things had gone ahead of her first radiotherapy appointment.
She said: 'I've just had my body mapping scan so in order to prepare for my radiotherapy. For those of you maybe in my position and you don't know what to expect, it was completely painless, it took 10 minutes, that's all. I had to lie on the scanner with cushions under my knees and my arms up over my head.'
'The only uncomfortable part for me was I felt really vulnerable because I had no clothes on my top half so I did feel shy and vulnerable.'
Staff Praised Despite Shortage
Despite this, the former I'm A Celebrity...South Africa star had nothing but praise for the hospital staff. Despite a slight staff shortage which meant that various procedures could not be completed today, she believes she will finally be able to begin radiotherapy in just under a fortnight.
She said: 'The staff were lovely, they did say I normally would've seen some nurses for blood pressure, blood tests, but they're short staffed so they couldn't do that today. They'll do that on my first radiotherapy session which they think is going to be 2nd July.'
Husband's Perspective
Shortly afterwards, her husband Jon took to social media to post his own take on the situation. He said: 'Beverley has just gone into the CT room just to have her mapping done. There's nothing we can do really, is there? I'm just waiting. Yeah, she looked pretty worried about it but I know there's nothing worried about it. I think she's more worried about this than she is about having the operation.'
'I think it's the unknown, isn't it? I think I'm more worried about this - the operation is just that. And I know she's worried about what she looks like but there's no need to worry about that. But this bit, the fact that she's gotta come every day...it's certainly a journey.'
Previous Diagnosis and Setbacks
Beverley, who is also known for her role in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, has recently suffered a number of setbacks and explained there had been a bit of a delay because it had 'taken a while' for her medical records to arrive from England.
The soap star first revealed news of her diagnosis in February during an appearance on RTE's Late Late Show, and explained that she received the diagnosis just minutes before she was due on set for her new soap role.
She said: '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 thinking, 'I hope everybody thinks I'm all right', whatever.'
'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 said 'I'm away for a month', and I was diagnosed with breast cancer. But I'm fine, I'm absolutely fine. My head was a bit mashed for the first few days. It's very early stages, and I'm along with thousands of other women as well.'
If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Breast Cancer Support.
