Former Hollyoaks star Ali Bastian has shared an update amid her battle with stage two breast cancer.
The Becca Dean actress, 42 – who appeared on the Channel 4 soap for 6 years – revealed her diagnosis in September, confirming that she discovered a lump whilst breastfeeding her daughter Isabella.
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.
She’s now undergoing weekly chemotherapy ahead of a mastectomy and radiotherapy next year.
In a new interview she’s opened up about shaving her hair, and her hesitation before taking her wig off.
‘Then it felt all right, and then it just felt normal. I’m hot and my bald head needs some air!’ she told Fabulous Magazine.
‘I trot around with a bald head all the time at home. But I’d had this fear that becoming bald from chemo was me ‘becoming’ a cancer patient, and that was all anyone would see.’
She continued: ‘I thought it would be like losing my identity. It frightened me that something which had previously been invisible would now be very visible.
‘The hair loss from chemo is like an outward expression of how raw you feel inside. But losing your hair is a small price to pay to be well.’
Speaking of the importance of checking women checking their body, she said: ‘Pregnancy and breastfeeding are sensitive times for women, and we’re not exempt from needing to check our breasts during this time
‘If there’s anything that doesn’t feel right, get it checked. I’ll do anything I can to raise awareness for women to check their breasts.’
