Beverley Callard has candidly shared her fears that her husband Jon McEwan won't be attracted to her anymore, after she underwent surgery to treat her breast cancer.
The Coronation Street legend, 68, revealed she is battling the disease earlier this month, explaining she had been diagnosed just after she'd relocated to Dublin to start her new job on Irish soap Fair City.
While she reassured fans the cancer was caught early, she explained she would need to return home to Norfolk to undergo radiotherapy and surgery.
Taking to her Instagram on Tuesday, Beverley issued a fresh update after having an operation on Friday to remove two lymph nodes, as a precautionary measure to make sure that cancer had not spread.
Heaping praise on the medical staff at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, the actress admitted the surgery had left her feeling 'really sore' and exhausted and not able to eat much.
While she assured that she was 'doing okay', she got candid about her concerns over what her body looked like under her dressings, admitting she was 'scared' she wouldn't still be attractive.
Beverley Callard has candidly shared her fears that her husband Jon McEwan won't be attracted to her anymore, after she underwent surgery to treat her breast cancer (seen together in 2021)
Taking to her Instagram on Tuesday, Beverley issued a fresh update after having an operation on Friday to remove two lymph nodes, as a precautionary measure to make sure that cancer had not spread
Filming a video of herself at home, she explained she's had no energy after being discharged from hospital, and that she had an appointment on Wednesday to find out if she'd need a second operation.
'I've done nothing, to be honest,' she began. 'But I was really, really tired. Got up, had a bit of breakfast, but I've got no appetite whatsoever at the moment, but I'm trying. Jon's force-feeding me.
'And then I went back to bed, fell asleep, then I got up for an hour, went back to bed again. I was like that all day. I didn’t even comb my hair. I could not be bothered.'
Beverley - who is best known for playing Liz McDonald on the cobbles from 1989 until 2020 - then made the heartbreaking admission that she was preoccupied with thoughts that Jon wouldn't want to have sex with her anymore.
The star - who has been married to the recording studio owner since 2010 - said: ‘I’ve still got dressings on, so I don’t know what I look like, and I’m scared of that.
‘I keep thinking - maybe too much information - but I think will Jon and I still be swinging from the chandeliers? Not right now, but you know what I mean.
‘Will I still be attractive, or not? So all that’s going through my head.’
Beverley was flooded with comforting words from her friends and followers, who insisted that she was ‘stunning’ and just needed time to heal.
Her Fair City co-star and onscreen daughter Emily Lamey wrote: 'You are doing amazing & inspiring loads of people ❤️ You will be swinging from the chandeliers in no time'.
While Irish singer-songwriter Imelda May also rushed to offer some encouraging words, commenting: 'You are stunning!!! Don't stress. Allow yourself to just heal. You'll get your mojo back.'
While Sinitta penned a touching message to her friend, branding her 'phenomenal' and insisting that Jon would fancy her even more 'because you have the most gorgeous heart to go with your beautiful face and body'.
In the heartwarming and lengthy comment, the singer wrote:
‘Sweet Beverly, you are phenomenal, you said you are not doing much today but you are educating the Nation my Darling and letting us know how to deal with things and what to expect if we get ill and you are doing a brilliant job at it.
‘You Do also look incredibly lovely with zero effort! So, will your John still fancy you when you get better?! I think he will fancy you even more because you have the most gorgeous heart to go with your beautiful face and body; you are also a little minx!
‘Proven by the fact that you are even having these thoughts two days after surgery!So all he needs to do is WAIT patiently; I am sure you will be climbing him all the way to the chandeliers again in no time sexy Mama!
‘I love you. Relax and enjoy the time off; We are praying for you tonight for the swiftest recovery and please God no more surgery. Sleep Tight Baby Girl’.
On Friday, Beverley filmed a video from the hospital as she prepared to go in for surgery, admitting she was worried she'd be left 'lopsided'.
The star also hopes to still play Lily, the long-lost mum of established Fair City character Gwen on the RTÉ show (pictured as Lily on show)
She said: ‘Update for anyone else who is about to go through it. I’m at the hospital, it’s the big day which I’m glad about. I’m ready, I’m strong, I feel fine. Jon’s had to go home, they sent him home.
‘There’s a few other ladies here with me, we’ve had a chat. They’ve been in and drawn all over me and then I have to go for an injection in an hour and then the anaesthetist came in. I’m feeling OK.
‘Sometimes, you get these self-indulgent feelings and vanity but I’m not alone. This other lady said she’s the same.
‘I keep thinking, will I be lopsided? What will I wear? But I’m really good, I’m really strong and I’ll let you know how it goes.’
She revealed she had breast cancer during an appearance on The Late Late Show at the start of February, revealing she'd received the news of her diagnosis just 20 minutes before she was due to film her first scenes on Fair City.
She told host Patrick Kielty: 'It's difficult to know where to start. I knew I was coming over here for four weeks, and then I'd have a couple of weeks back in the UK, and then back here - for a long time.
I'd had some tests just before I left the UK and literally 15 to 20 minutes before [her first scene] 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, you know, I've just taken a new job I'm away for a month". I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Beverley stressed that the disease was caught early, saying: '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, you know, thousands of other women as well.
It's early stages. I travel back to the UK tomorrow; just for a couple of weeks. They're going to test lymph nodes and lymph glands and all that.
I need an operation and some radiotherapy; then I'm coming back to Fair City; so I will be back in just a few weeks.'
The star also hopes to still play Lily, the long-lost mum of established Fair City character Gwen on the RTÉ show.
Brest cancer statistics
Brest cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year
What is breast cancer?
It comes from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.
When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue it is called 'invasive'. Some people are diagnosed with 'carcinoma in situ', where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.
Most cases develop in those over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare.
Staging indicates how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.
The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.
What causes breast cancer?
A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply 'out of control'.
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid-filled cysts, which are benign.
The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammogram, a special X-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.
How is breast cancer treated?
- Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour.
- Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
- Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying.
- Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the 'female' hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.
How successful is treatment?
The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure.
The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71 means more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.