Cheryl Fergison has revealed she self-harmed for years as she struggled to come to terms with her womb cancer.
The actress, 58, who played Heather Trott in bbc EastEnders soap, revealed in April that she was diagnosed with stage two cancer in 2015 and underwent a hysterectomy.
Cheryl, who got the nod last year, She was told to watch for any unusual symptoms in case cancer cells remained, but this instruction from her doctors led to obsessive behavior.
The soap star revealed that she became obsessed with washing herself with boiling water because she wanted to “eliminate” cancer cells.
In a candid interview, Cheryl said she only stopped self-harming last year.
Cheryl Fergison has revealed she self-harmed for years as she struggled to come to terms with her womb cancer.
The actress, 58, who played Heather Trott in BBC soap EastEnders, revealed last month that she was diagnosed with stage two cancer in 2015 and underwent a hysterectomy.
“I hate the word self-harm, but I was hurting myself,” Cheryl said. Nearest magazine. “I took hot showers three or four times a week, as hot as I could, and pointed them at my vagina thinking it would kill the cells.
‘I was bleeding. She was in pain, they were never able to give me a speculum, and relationships with my husband were difficult. I stopped that damage at the end of last year. It’s been necessary all this time.
When Cheryl received her diagnosis, her husband Yassine, 38, was in Morocco dealing with family grief.
The actress decided to hide it from her son Alex, 24, whom she had during her first marriage to Jamshed Saddiqi, while he was taking exams.
Cheryl said she had “never” hidden anything from her son before, but that cancer “affects friends and family,” not just the person.
The actress underwent a hysterectomy shortly after her diagnosis and said she felt like “the opportunity to have a baby with her husband had been taken away from us.”
‘We always said that if we were going to have a baby, that was our chance and that choice was taken away from us. Psychologically that was difficult. Now I am 58 years old. “I feel blessed and honored to have my son Alex, but my baby-making days are over,” Cheryl said.
The actress decided to keep it a secret so that her son Alex, 24 (right) and her husband Yassine (left) were not there when she received the diagnosis.
Cheryl was diagnosed in 2015 and felt sad that “any idea of having a child together had been taken away from her.”
Cheryl kept her health struggles private after receiving the terrifying diagnosis nine years ago, but in April she announced her secret health battle.
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.
“I’ve been through a lot but I’m still here. What does not kill you makes you stronger.’
Cheryl received her diagnosis after attending a regular smear test, 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 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.
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.
Cheryl rose to fame playing the adorable Heather Trott in EastEnders for five years, before being brutally murdered. by Ben Mitchell in 2012.
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.”