The actress had a major role in EastEnders from 2007 until 2017 and was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022
Former EastEnders actress Sam Womack has spoken about how her breast cancer diagnosis two years ago impacted her life. She appeared on Loose Women yesterday to discuss her battle with the condition and how her life has changed.
Speaking to the panel, the Ronnie Mitchell star said: "My whole outlook on life has changed in the last two years. I got diagnosed with breast cancer and survived it, but for now, the beautify of all of it, the beauty of every single little thing that happens to you, the ups, the downs, the whatever, it's the beautiful chaos of it all."
Sam added that she looks back on the time in her life when she was diagnosed and remembers feeling "absolutely blessed to be in a space with gorgeous people for nine years, and I was then blessed to be terrified and have to start again in my 40s, I was so scared but I learnt a lot."
She had a major role in EastEnders from 2007 until 2017 and was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 following a "random" check. Although she felt fit and healthy, Sam 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.
Three years after the shock discovery, the actress is clear of cancer after having the tumour removed, alongside chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The BBC star 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 52-year-old who divides her time between the UK and her home in the mountains near Valencia in Spain, is backing a campaign to get women who are undergoing breast cancer tests to ask whether their breast tissue is dense or not.
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.
During her treatment Sam 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.
Sam now has check-ups every six months. Detailing the choices made after her cancer battle, she previously told PA: "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."
The 52-year-old is a mum to Benjamin, 24, and Lili-Rose, 20, who she shares with her ex-husband Mark Womack. Her current partner, Oliver Farnworth, 42, plays John Sugden in the ITV soap Emmerdale.
Speaking about her relationship on Loose Women, Sam said: "I always forget who he plays", adding "we live in Valencia, so we're away from TV. We live in the mountains in Valencia."
She added: "We just mainly talk about the rescue dogs and who is walking them in the morning. For us it [acting] is a job and we love it, but it gets left behind when we leave the set."