Former Coronation Street star Tracy Shaw has provided a heartfelt update on her breast cancer journey, admitting that life has become anything but ordinary. The 52-year-old actress, best known for portraying Maxine Peacock on the ITV soap from 1995 to 2003, previously disclosed her diagnosis and has now spoken candidly about the challenging effects of chemotherapy.
Emotional Revelation on Lorraine
Appearing on ITV's Lorraine, just days after breaking down while discussing her treatment, Shaw told host Lorraine Kelly: "I'm doing okay today, but it isn't an easy path. I'm only sharing it because there are millions, millions of ladies and gentlemen who are going through the same thing, and it's just not a very nice part of the disease, chemo, really."
The actress revealed a severe reaction to her first chemotherapy dose, explaining that doctors do not know how a body will respond initially. "First dose, they don't really know how your body's going to react, so it's a real big tester," she said. "It's like cheek pox - I had a reaction rather than having a thrush all over me. So you think you're out of the woods of the chemo and then the next minute...it's just not pleasant."
Diagnosis Discovery
Reflecting on the moment she learned of her cancer, Shaw shared: "Because it was underneath my breast and it wasn't on the breast itself. I thought, 'well, it can't be,' so I postponed it, just thinking it'll be okay, but actually, this lump was kind of on the top of my rib." She continued: "So I went to the doctor's, and they were more concerned about the cyst because I was on HRT, so the HRT was feeding the cancer - it doesn't cause it, but it was feeding it. So the cysts were tight and sore, so that's the reason I went. It wasn't really necessarily because of the lump, and the mammogram discovered the lump."
Support and New Normal
The actress confessed that her life is no longer "normal" following her diagnosis, though she has been overwhelmed with encouragement from fans and her sons, Louis and Luca Alexander, whom she shares with ex-partner Ashley Poundall. "The whole family and all the people who are following and messaging at the moment. There are mothers with sons, younger sons, sons my age, and the family members are messaging. Everyone is affected, and sometimes just by me sharing about what the effects are, they understand how that person might be feeling, because you don't know," she explained.
Shaw added: "The survivors are just amazing, the ones who are really reaching out and giving me advice and tips. Unless you've been there, you don't really know just how awful it really feels, because there's nothing normal about your life anymore when you go through chemo."
Lorraine airs weekdays from 9:30am on ITV1 and ITVX.
