‘I was stunned to the core’ says EastEnders legend as she reveals devastating secret cancer battle
EASTENDERS legend Cheryl Fergison has revealed for the first time how she was diagnosed with womb cancer.
The actress, who played Heather Trott in the BBC soap for five years, found out she had the disease nine years ago.
Cheryl, 58, described receiving the diagnosis as “like an out of body experience” and admitted to fearing the worst.
Speaking to the Mirror, she said: “I was in absolute shock; stunned to the core. I couldn’t believe the doctor was talking about me.”
Cheryl, who is mum to son Alex, 16, from her first marriage, had a smear test which came back clear before she began experiencing back pain and blood spotting.
It prompted her to go for a check up and, four months after having a biopsy, Cheryl was told she had stage 2 womb cancer.
She continued: “All I could think was ‘I have to get this thing out of me’ but it was very difficult. It impacted how I felt as a woman. I’d not long married Yassine and suddenly any thought of having a child together had been taken away.”
Cheryl underwent a hysterectomy, robbing her of the chance of having another child, and she told how the disease brought upon early menopause.
It affected how she saw herself as a woman with Cheryl calling it an “horrendous time”.
There were times when she questioned if she would survive the illness.
She said: “Yes, there were some dark moments when I thought: ‘am I going to die?’ Am I going to leave my husband without a wife, my son without a mum? But I am strong and I’d knock those thoughts away. I was determined that it wasn’t going to beat me.”
During her health battle, Cheryl was supported by co-stars Dame Barbara Windsor and Steve McFadden.
Late Barbara, who played Queen Vic matriarch Peggy Mitchell, supported Cheryl financially.
At the time, Cheryl was experiencing some money troubles and kind Babs insisted on helping out with the bills, leaving the grateful star in tears.
While Phil Mitchell star Steve let Cheryl recover from her surgery in his Cornish bolthole.
Womb cancer symptoms
- Bleeding after sex
- ‘Blood-stained’ vaginal discharge (which can be pink, red or brown)
- Blood in the urine (haematuria)
- Bleeding between periods (before the menopause)
- Periods that are heavier than normal (before the menopause)
- Any vaginal bleeding after the menopause (including spotting)
- Abdominal pain
Once womb cancer reaches a more advanced stage, it may also cause:
- Pain in the back, legs or pelvis
- Loss of appetite
- Tiredness
- Nausea
These symptoms could well be a sign of a far more mild health problem, such as low oestrogen levels or a reaction to hormone replacement therapy.
But they could also indicate several potentially serious conditions, like endometriosis, fibroids or polyps.
Cheryl finally got the all clear last year and is now urging women to listen to their bodies and investigate anything that doesn’t feel right.
Womb cancer is the fourth most common type of the disease in women in the UK.
But worryingly, many have no idea what the most common symptoms are, meaning it’s often found at a late stage.
Almost 10,000 people are diagnosed every year. Around 2,500 die.
Of those told they have womb cancer early, 90 per cent survive.
But only one in five patients will live beyond five years if it isn’t detected until the disease is in an advanced stage.
Cancer types, signs and symptoms
Everything you need to know about different types of Cancer
Bowel cancer symptoms: What are they and when should I start to worry?
What is prostate cancer? Signs and symptoms of the condition
What are skin cancer symptoms and what does the disease look like?
How to check your breasts for signs of cancer
Stomach cancer: Symptoms, causes, and treatments
What is a brain tumour and what are the symptoms?
What does a cancerous mole look like?
What are esophageal cancer symptoms?
How to tell the difference between haemorrhoids and cancer
Are sunbeds safe and can they cause cancer?
What is glioblastoma and what are the symptoms?