Hollyoaks star Ali Bastian has revealed that she is breast cancer-free following a six-month battle with the illness.
Bastian, who played Becca Dean on the Channel 4 soap between 2001 and 2007, took to Instagram yesterday to tell friends, fans and followers the news: “Thank you so much for all your Birthday messages last week, I’m honestly so grateful for all the love and support from my little corner of social media,” she wrote.
“I wanted to update you all. I’m on to my final week of radio therapy which should mark the end my active treatment – I hope and pray for good! I had my mastectomy in January which was thankfully a success and has healed really well, it proved that my chemo had worked. As I sit here right now, I’m free from Cancer. I can’t even believe it. I have the most incredible team at CUH and I’m so grateful for every single one of them.
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“The nurses who have given me compassion, time and space to share and talk about my experience of a very challenging treatment pathway… one that although we thank god exists, is not only a lot for the body to process but an awful lot to process mentally and emotionally. My consultants – golly, to be surrounded by such excellence. We used to joke on TV sets when we all started to take ourselves a bit too seriously ‘come on guys, we’re not curing cancer here.’ Well these incredible men and women dedicate their lives to doing just that, at least that is what they hope for, for all of us.
“I hope one day their dreams are realised for everyone touched by this. Another shout out for Stef in the Dunmanway who makes tea for all the chemo patients.. thank you for taking time to know us as we pass through the clinic week after week. You make an incredible difference to a lonely journey, as do all the onc nurses who are not only incredible but the hand holds, the tears, the laughs and the kindness will never be forgotten.
“To be coming out of the other side of this feels unreal, after the shock of a diagnosis it’s hard to let in the light and believe that it might just be ok. The road back to my life won’t be a linear one… and I will share with you as always, as much of my truth of this experience as I can. I am so, so grateful for all of your support. People with cancer, experiencing cancer treatment need love. Full stop. Unconditional, arms around you love and support. I’ve really felt that from you all, also in my day to day life… from the most unexpected of places. When it’s dark, look for stars.”
Bastian, whose career has also taken in stints on both Holby City and Doctors, as well as a lead role in 2012 B-movie horror-comedy Strippers vs Werewolves, initially shared her breast cancer diagnosis in September last year. At first, doctors believed the lump to be a blocked duct but, following a round of antibiotics, she had further tests done at a specialist clinic, which ultimately confirmed the presence of cancerous cells.
