Latest news with #RonnieMitchell
BreakingNews.ie
16 hours ago
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Samantha Womack: ‘Following my instincts saved my life'
Although she felt fit and healthy, actress Samantha Womack had a gut feeling that something was wrong with her. So she had a private ultrasound scan of her breasts which found a 4cm cancerous tumour. Advertisement Three years after the shock discovery, Womack is clear of cancer after having the tumour removed, plus chemotherapy and radiotherapy. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sam Womack (@samzjanus) But she's urging other women to follow their instincts if they're concerned about their health in any way, and stresses: 'If anything feels wrong, you just have to get as much information as you can and get it checked out, because it literally saved my life 'I wasn't quite 50, and I didn't have a lump – I didn't have any symptoms. I was generally healthy, and for some reason I just had an instinct that maybe something wasn't right. So in the middle of two shows, I went to get an ultrasound, and saw a black shadow there. Immediately, when I saw it was an irregular shape, I thought 'I know what that is'.' Womack, who played Ronnie Mitchell in EastEnders until 2017, was diagnosed with an aggressive grade three invasive ductal carcinoma in her right breast. The cancer had already started to travel to her lymph nodes, and she had five nodes removed. 'The journey then became very much about listening to my instincts and responding to what my body needed, and getting as much information as I could about the cancer,' she explains, 'because what if I hadn't listened to my intuition, my other voice? My diagnosis and treatment would have been very different.' Advertisement (Alamy/PA) Now Womack, 52, who divides her time between the UK and her home in the mountains near Valencia in Spain, is championing a campaign to get women who are undergoing breast cancer tests to ask whether their breast tissue is dense or not. The Keep Abreast of your Breast Density campaign by private cancer care provider GenesisCare explains that although mammograms are an excellent breast cancer screening tool, it's harder to spot tumours in mammograms of dense breast tissue, which is a measurement of how much fibroglandular tissue there is in a woman's breast versus fatty tissue. GenesisCare says dense breast tissue is found in around half of women aged over 40, and women with extremely dense breasts are six times more likely to get breast cancer than those with fatty breasts. However, women in the UK are not currently informed about their breast density following a mammogram, and no further additional imaging is offered for women with dense breasts. Womack says she still doesn't know if she has dense breasts herself, pointing out: 'During the whole process, I hadn't understood about dense breasts – no-one had mentioned the term to me. But then when I understood, I learned that the denser your breasts, an all-clear with a mammogram doesn't necessarily mean you're clear. If you've got fatty breasts, tumours are easy to see, but as they become more fibrous, it's more difficult.' Advertisement Womack is urging women to ask doctors whether they have dense breasts or not, and if they have, then decide whether they want any further tests after a mammogram. 'We still have this mentality of doctors know best and you shouldn't really push the health service because they're doing all they can,' she says. 'A lot of the time that's right. But if you feel like there's anything wrong, and you're not quite 50, or you're over 50 and you've had a mammogram and you've been given the all-clear, but something still doesn't feel right, the information about whether you have dense breasts can massively change your treatment. 'I just realised how ill-informed we are, and how nervous sometimes we are to ask questions. It's about taking control of your own body. If anything feels wrong, if you've got a lump that's persistent and won't go away, if you've had a mammogram and it doesn't feel right, or something is telling you that you should go back, you should listen to that. 'And you absolutely should ask what density your breasts are, because it really makes a difference in terms of finding tumours.' Advertisement Womack now has check-ups every six months, and says she's trying to lead a healthier lifestyle, enjoying walking her six rescue dogs in the mountains around Valencia, where she lives part-time with her partner, actor Oliver Farnworth who plays John Sugden in Emmerdale. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sam Womack (@samzjanus) 'I've just chosen to be around nature – it's a calmer lifestyle. It's quieter,' she says happily. 'That's not just because of the cancer – I just enjoy it. I walk the dogs every day, and I try to make good choices about my body. I'm just listening to my body a lot more, I think, rather than being panicked about what I eat and how much I sleep. You can be neurotic about those kind of things. I'm sensible. 'But the main thing is if anything's wrong, I follow my instinct and I get it checked out. And I really encourage all women to do the same and not be afraid to ask questions.' But what do independent experts have to say about dense breasts and cancer screening? Advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Breast Cancer Now (@breastcancernow) Sally Kum, associate director of nursing and health information at the Breast Cancer Now charity, confirms: 'Having dense breasts both increases the risk of breast cancer and makes it harder to identify potential cancers on a routine mammogram.'
Metro
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
EastEnders legend felt ‘enlightened' after cancer battle
Former EastEnders star Samantha Womack has spoken out about her breast cancer battle. The actress, 52, who was best known for her role as Ronnie Mitchell in the BBC soap for best part of a decade, revealed her diagnosis in 2022. In a tribute post to the late Olivia Newton-John, she wrote on social media: 'This was the most magical of evenings. Olivia and Chloe had come to see Grease in London and we had dinner together afterwards. 'I was so excited and in awe, she was my childhood. I now start my own battle with this disease and am left feeling deeply moved.' The following year she spoke to Metro about now being cancer free following treatment, including a lumpectomy and chemotherapy. 'I don't have any more tumours at the moment, I'm clear in that respect,' she said. 'But I'm still incredibly cautious about getting my check-ups every year. But also trying not to spend my life waiting to see if it's around the corner. 'That's the most complicated thing with cancer, is trying to put it in a place where you're responsible about it but you're also not letting it breathe down your neck every second of every day.' Now, the star has said she feels 'so much more enlightened' after the experience. 'I know myself better, I feel humbler, I feel calmer,' she told OK! Magazine. She also spoke about having to turn down work during this time: 'After my year-and-a-half of treatment, I started turning down a lot of stuff. 'I didn't have the bank balance to match that confidence, trust me.' She continued: 'It was me saying the word 'no' and my bank account creaking. But there was empowerment in that because I thought, 'OK, I need to go through this, spend time with myself and figure out stuff that I've never figured out – maybe stuff I've buried under a rug.' Want to be the first to hear shocking EastEnders spoilers? Who's leaving Coronation Street? The latest gossip from Emmerdale? Join 10,000 soaps fans on Metro's WhatsApp Soaps community and get access to spoiler galleries, must-watch videos, and exclusive interviews. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications so you can see when we've just dropped the latest spoilers! 'Soaps pay very, very well, but the reality of being self-employed means that, yes, you get paid for the jobs you do, but for the six months of the year you don't work, you don't get paid. More Trending 'I've never been a wealthy person. I've gone from job to job, always thinking, 'Better say yes because no one's going to want me if I don't.' 'I had very low self-esteem.' View More » Samantha went on to add that she struggled to find the 'neurotic, zany energy' required for acting roles post-treatment, and that although she was physically capable, she didn't feel emotionally capable. If you've got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@ – we'd love to hear from you. Join the community by leaving a comment below and stay updated on all things soaps on our homepage. MORE: Emmerdale icon who left after 13 years stages unexpected soap comeback MORE: Coronation Street star addresses health battle that left her feeling faint MORE: Popular Emmerdale star addresses long-awaited return – and it's soon
