English actress Ali Bastian has revealed she’s been diagnosed with stage-two breast cancer after finding a lump while breastfeeding.
The former Hollyoaks The star, 42, revealed she initially thought she had mastitis, the swelling of breast tissue, before eventually receiving a diagnosis.
Speaking of OK! Magazine, she said: “It was a total shock.”
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“I have mornings when I wake up and I’ve forgotten… and then suddenly I remember. I’m still trying to process it,” she said.
The star revealed she is undergoing chemotherapy and will have a mastectomy and radiotherapy.
The mother-of-two added she’s keeping positive and hopes to return to acting once she’s given the all-clear, saying: “I will get through this and come out the other side.”
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Bastian, who is known for The Bill, Doctors and Strictly Come Dancingis married to actor and producer David O’Mahony.
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She previously spoke about breastfeeding in a candid Instagram post and said it “wasn’t an easy journey at all”.
“Nearly four months old and going strong with the breastfeeding. It wasn’t an easy journey at all, but my god I’m glad I stuck with it – I also fully respect any decision not to,” she wrote.
“There are so many reasons why this doesn’t work for people or why they don’t want to and I feel like breast feeding is already something that is pushed pretty hard on us during pregnancy – I would never want to add to that pressure. .
“The bond and the connection, the feeding to sleep and the knowledge that I might be helping heal Isla’s gut and immune system after a shocker of a few weeks keeps me fully committed to our ‘new normal.’”
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