Coronation Street star Tracy Shaw has shared a new update on her breast cancer journey, admitting, "It's not easy." The 52-year-old actress, best known for playing Maxine Peacock on the ITV soap from 1995 to 2003, previously revealed her diagnosis and subsequent chemotherapy treatment.
Emotional Appearance on Lorraine
Days after breaking down in tears about the impact of her treatment, Shaw appeared on ITV's Lorraine to give fans an update. Speaking to host Lorraine Kelly, she said, "I'm doing okay today, but it isn't an easy path. I'm only sharing it because there are 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."
Difficult Reaction to Chemotherapy
The soap star revealed she had a severe reaction to her first dose of chemotherapy. "First dose, they don't really know how your body's going to react, so it's a real big tester. 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," she explained.
Discovering the Diagnosis
Opening up about the heartbreaking moment she found out, Shaw said, "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 added that she was on HRT, which was feeding the cancer, though it didn't cause it. "So the cysts were tight and sore, that's the reason I went. It wasn't really necessarily because of the lump, and the mammogram discovered the lump."
Support from Family and Fans
The actress admitted her life is no longer "normal" following the diagnosis, but she has been overwhelmed with support from her two sons, Louis and Luca Alexander, whom she shares with former partner Ashley Poundall, as well as her loyal followers. "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 said.
Shaw also praised fellow survivors: "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.
