Cheryl Fergison has revealed how her EastEnders co-stars Barbara Windsor and June Brown supported her through her cancer diagnosis and their incredible gift.
The actress, 58, is known for portraying the role of Heather Trott in the BBC soap and has opened up on her secret battle with womb cancer for the first time to The Mirror. She decided to keep her devastating diagnosis private, alongside her hysterectomy, early onset of the menopause, and the sad realisation that she wouldn’t be able to have children with her husband of 12 years Yassine.
Cheryl told us that the "time is right" to now talk about the dark moments. The TV star had a regular smear test which came back clear but started to have "a lot of backache and spotting blood". She shared how it "wasn't normal" for her and "just knew something didn’t feel right”. Cheryl was referred for tests and a biopsy at a local hospital and was told four months later that she had Stage 2 cancer of the womb.
The soap star chose to delay telling her then 16-year-old son Alex as he was facing school exams and her husband Yassine was in Morocco, supporting the relief effort from the earthquake. She decided to turn to her few trusted friends including former EastEnders colleagues Barbara Windsor, June Brown and Steve McFadden as well as Paul O’Grady and Julian Clary.
Cheryl told The Mirror: “Their support meant the world to me. When I was in EastEnders, I would go to Barbara’s dressing room and June’s everyday 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 too.
"She’d say: ‘whatever’s going on in your own four walls, when you go outside, put on a smile - the public don’t want to see you miserable, darling.” The friends all attended Paul O’Grady’s 60th birthday, where Cheryl had privately discussed her news. A few days after the party, Barbara and husband Scott asked Cheryl to call in on them.
Cheryl Fergison exclusive
She recalled: “I can hear her now saying ‘come on darling, how are you feeling? You know you can get through this’. I popped to the loo and when I came back Barb said, ‘right, darling, how much? How much are your bills and your mortgage because we’d like to support you."
Cheryl admitted: "I was in shock and said no but Barbs was insistent - I wasn’t earning. They sat there and wrote a cheque. I was sobbing but Barbara hugged me and said: ‘don’t worry. We’re always going to be here for you.’” Cheryl also praised Linda Henry, who played Shirley Carter in the soap, for her support. She branded Steve McFadden as "like a big brother to me, I love him to bits”. He arranged for her to stay in his Cornish home so she could recuperate after her hysterectomy.
The actress got the all clear last year after fearing her cancer had returned when she started suffering from backaches again. Cheryl said: “They looked into it. They had trouble getting hold of my notes but, when they did and they looked at them, it turned out the initial treatment had got all the cancer."
The Macmillan Support Line offers confidential support to people living with cancer and their loved ones. If you need to talk, call us on 0808 808 0000.
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