Coronation Street actress Beverley Callard has spoken about her breast cancer surgery, revealing she’s concerned about how it may affect her intimate life.
Beverley Callard has admitted she fears her sex life with her husband could come to an end following her breast cancer surgery. The former Coronation Street star received her early-stage diagnosis just 20 minutes before she was due to film her first scenes for the Dublin-based soap Fair City.
The actress, best known for playing Liz McDonald, underwent surgery last week and had two lymph nodes removed to prevent the cancer from spreading. She has since shared concerns that her husband, Jon McEwan, may no longer see her as attractive after the procedure.
Beverley revealed she had been anxious about feeling “lopsided” after the operation and made the emotional confession in a health update video posted to Instagram on Tuesday, February 24.
The actress, who has been married to Jon since 2010, said: “I still have my dressings on, so I haven’t seen what I look like yet, and that frightens me. I keep wondering — maybe this is too much information — but will Jon and I still be swinging from the chandeliers? Not right away, of course, but you know what I mean. Will he still find me attractive? All of that keeps running through my mind.”
Beverley was kept in hospital overnight at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital after experiencing minor complications following her surgery on February 20. She also revealed that she is due to return to the hospital on Wednesday, February 26, to learn whether she will need a second operation.
In her video update, the I’m A Celebrity star reassured fans that she is “doing OK,” although she admitted she feels “really sore under my arm.” She explained that the surgery has left her drained and struggling to eat properly.
The actress said: “I honestly haven’t done anything. I’ve just been extremely tired. I got up and had a little breakfast, but I’ve completely lost my appetite at the moment — though I am trying. Jon’s practically making me eat.
“Then I went back to bed and fell asleep, got up for about an hour, and went straight back to bed again. It was like that all day. I didn’t even brush my hair. I just couldn’t be bothered.”
Beverley also praised the team at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, describing the medical staff as “truly amazing.” She had her lymph nodes and glands tested for cancer on February 11.
In a health update shared on February 18, Beverley explained that doctors were “fairly confident” the cancer had not spread to her lymph nodes, but said they planned to remove two of them as a precaution.
Earlier, on February 6, Beverley revealed her breast cancer diagnosis during an appearance on The Late Late Show. Speaking to host Patrick Kielty, 55, she admitted it was hard to know where to begin.
She explained that she had travelled to Ireland for what was meant to be four weeks of filming, followed by a short break in the UK before returning again for a longer stint. Just before leaving the UK, she had undergone some medical tests.
Recalling the moment she received the news, Beverley said that around 15 to 20 minutes before filming her first scene for Fair City, she was in her dressing room preparing to go on set and feeling nervous. At that point, her consultant called and told her she needed to return to the UK.
She responded that she couldn’t possibly leave, having just started a new job and committed to a month away. It was then that she was told she had breast cancer.
Beverley emphasised that the illness had been detected early. She said she was “absolutely fine,” although she admitted her head felt “a bit scrambled” in the first few days after finding out. She noted that it is in the early stages and that she is one of many women going through the same experience.
She also explained that she was due to travel back to the UK on February 7 for a couple of weeks, where doctors would carry out further tests on her lymph nodes and glands. Despite the diagnosis, Beverley said she hopes to continue playing Lily in Fair City and revealed she will need surgery followed by radiotherapy.
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