EastEnders actress Cheryl Fergison has revealed her secret battle with womb cancer in a candid new interview.
The actress, 58, who played Heather Trott in the BBC soap from 2007 to 2012, has kept her health problems private after receiving the terrifying diagnosis nine years ago.
She has now shared that she thought she was going to die after being diagnosed with stage two womb cancer in 2015, calling it “a horrendous moment”.
She said OK! Magazine: ‘There were some dark moments, especially at night, when I thought, ‘Am I going to die?’ Am I going to leave my husband without a wife, my son without a mother?
But now is the right time to talk about all this. I hope my story can empower other women.
EastEnders actress Cheryl Fergison has revealed her secret battle with womb cancer in a candid new interview.
The actress, 58, who played Heather Trott in the BBC soap from 2007 to 2012, has kept her health problems private after receiving the terrifying diagnosis nine years ago.
“I’ve been through a lot but I’m still here. What does not kill you makes you stronger.’
He received his diagnosis after attending a regular cytology, which came back clear.
But then he started experiencing back pain and spotting blood, which he knew was not normal.
She then went to see her GP and was referred for tests and a biopsy at a local hospital in Kent.
Four months later she received the news that she had stage two uterine cancer.
Cheryl has now said that hearing the doctor’s diagnosis was like an “out-of-body experience.”
She said: ‘I was in absolute shock; stunned to the core. I couldn’t believe the doctor was talking about me.’
After the x-rays, Cheryl was also recommended for a full hysterectomy just a few weeks later.
She has now shared that she thought she was going to die after being diagnosed with stage two womb cancer in 2015, calling it “a horrendous moment”.
She said Ok! Magazine: ‘There were some dark moments, especially at night, when I thought, ‘Am I going to die?’ Am I going to leave my husband without a wife, my son without a mother?
She told how this greatly affected her if she had wanted to have another child, after her chances of achieving this had already been reduced due to early menopause.
Cheryl now lives with her husband of 12 years, Yassine. She has a son, Alex, 24, from her first marriage to Jamshed Saddiqi.
She had just married Yassine when she received the diagnosis and felt sad because “any idea of having a child together had been taken away from her.”
The star shared the devastating news with some industry friends at the time, including Dame Barbara Windsor, June Brown and Steve McFadden.
He also confided in entertainment icons Paul O’Grady and Julian Clary.
Last year, Cheryl got the nod.
She shared the diagnosis after Cheryl revealed earlier this month that she was rushed to hospital after being left “in complete agony”.
She issued a lengthy statement sharing that she was treated for an infection that left her in enormous pain, but after six antibiotic drips, she was soon “home and on the road to recovery.”
In his statement, published by MirrorCheryl shared that her 24-hour stint in the ER was an “eye-opening experience,” adding that she’s been “in and out of the hospital” for the past nine years due to some “serious health conditions.”
Cheryl thanked the staff at Blackpool & Victoria Teaching Hospital and said: “I was treated for an infection with intravenous antibiotics every hour and at times I was in complete agony.
‘I’m glad to say the infection is subsiding and I’m now home and on the road to recovery. My family has been by my side throughout this whole ordeal.
‘Spending 24 hours in the ER was more than an eye-opening experience. It was painful to watch the sheer abuse and overwhelming conditions our healthcare workers have to endure.
“The lack of appreciation shown by some people of my time was very difficult to watch.”
Cheryl went on to say her previous health battles had been “very scary” and “disturbing”, describing the NHS as “horribly broken” and “neglected”.
He ended his statement by saying he hoped to “get back on his feet” and return to work with his son at Whispers Cafe in Lytham.
Just before he had said in a clip: ‘Hello everyone, I’ve just spent the last 24 hours in A&E at Blackpool Victoria Hospital. I’ve seen things in the last 24 hours that I can’t unsee. I have been in complete agony.
“The angels who staff the NHS have made me a million times better and I want to thank them so much.” When people say they don’t get paid enough, they really don’t get paid enough.
‘We have a broken system. He’s gone to hell. He is shot. But it’s still amazing and we still have it, just by a thread.’
And he added: “First of all, I want to say thank you.” I’m much better and when you sit for 24 hours in a chair in an emergency department they send you to every six hours for an IV, antibiotic drops and you come back…’
Cheryl’s followers flooded the comments section with well wishes and messages of support for the soap star.
They shared: ‘Oh Cheryl, bless you. I hope you feel better and make a full recovery quickly. God bless you ; Oh my god, I hope you’re okay now. Sending hugs. ‘
‘I’m so sorry x I hope you feel better x take care of yourself x rest!!!! And I hope you don’t have to go through that again ; I hope you’re well? Sending healing ’
‘Get well soon, take it easy ; Get well soon and thank God that the NHS is still fighting despite everything that is happening.”
Cheryl rose to fame playing the adorable Heather Trott in EastEnders for five years, before being brutally murdered. by Ben Mitchell in 2012.
Cheryl rose to fame playing the lovable Heather Trott in EastEnders for five years, before being brutally murdered by Ben Mitchell in 2012 (pictured in the soap).
Her character’s death came at the decision of soap bosses, not Cheryl herself, who previously admitted she burst into tears after being told (Heather’s death pictured).
Her character’s death came at the decision of soap bosses, not Cheryl herself, who previously admitted she burst into tears after being told so.
She told Best magazine: “It was a bittersweet day. What you get with one hand is taken away with the other!
‘When they told me Heather was in favor of the cut, (the boss) had to get me a tissue. Sometimes a character is sacrificed to make other stories work. I understand. “I knew it was going to happen, but it was still a shock.”
A source said Sun at the time about her departure: “The character of Heather has been very popular over the years, but the decision was made to remove her from the show before viewers tired of her.”
