Former EastEnders star Cheryl Fergison urges women to bother their doctor if they think something is wrong afterward her diagnosis of uterine cancer as she gave a strong warning.
The soap actress said she “didn't feel like I would be here today” if she hadn't pursued the symptoms she experienced in 2015, which included “terrible” back pain.
Cheryl initially kept her battle with cancer private before deciding to talk about it publicly earlier this year, in a bid to inspire and empower other women.
'For me it's about letting women know what to do with their bodies. We don't listen to ourselves enough. In general, people don't listen to themselves enough,” she said during an appearance on Loose Women on Wednesday.
'As women, we are so busy interacting with others that we don't seem to have time for ourselves. So if something happens to you, you basically have to take it into account and act accordingly.”
She continued her advice with an important message, adding, “I think the point is that if I hadn't acted on what was going on with me, I don't feel like I would be here today.”
Cheryl, who played Heather Trott in the BBC show from 2007 to 2012 also said that she had kept her battle with cancer private for so long for both psychological and practical (financial) reasons.
'I kept it quiet for a long time because I had to process a lot of it. Moreover, it is difficult in our profession, because if you don't work, you don't earn any money!
'You have to keep working. So for us it was a smile when I had the operation [and] keep getting it right. A lot happened to me psychologically at that moment when I discovered I had it.'
She continued: 'It wasn't until the end of last year that I managed to go, enough is enough, stop this now, 'I just have to keep going.'
The former Celebrity Big Brother housemate has also previously shared the support she received from late EastEnders legends Dame Barbara Mitchell (Peggy Mitchell) and June Brown (Dot Branning), saying it meant 'the world' to her.
She added Mirror: 'When I was in EastEnders I would go to Barbara's dressing room and June's dressing room every day and I loved their stories.
“Barbara was no-nonsense – if she didn't like something, she would let you know – but she was also a great person to tell your problems.”
On Loose Women she told panellists Christine Lampard, Linda Robson, Denise Welch and Kelle Bryan that Dame Barbara had also been generous with her money.
Recalling a trip to the star and her husband Scott's home after telling them the news, Cheryl said she returned from a trip to the bathroom to find Scott with their checkbook out and asked 'how much?'.
'She [Dame Barbara] literally wrote a check to help me pay my bills and my mortgage.”
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