London, February 6, 2024 – Coronation Street icon Beverley Callard, 68, has revealed she’s been diagnosed with breast cancer, sharing the news during an appearance on RTE’s Late Late Show on Friday.
A Shock Diagnosis Amidst New beginnings
The actress, best known for her three-decade portrayal of Rovers Return barmaid Liz McDonald, said the illness was detected in its “very early stages.” Callard is preparing for further testing, followed by an operation and radiotherapy, she told host Patrick Kielty.
What happens when breast cancer is detected early? early detection significantly increases the chances of successful treatment and a positive outcome, with a five-year survival rate exceeding 99 percent in the UK.
The diagnosis came just moments before Callard was due on set at Fair City, an Irish soap opera she recently joined. “I’ve had some tests just before I left the UK, and literally 15, 20 minutes before I was in my dressing room at Fair City, get a phone call saying, ‘Beverley, we need you for a couple of weeks” for additional tests on her lymph nodes and glands. “But then I need an operation and some radiotherapy, and then I’m coming back to fair City, so I will be back in just a few weeks,” she explained.
Callard described feeling “absolutely fine” though admitted to being “a bit mashed” in the days promptly following the diagnosis.
Callard first joined the cast of Coronation Street in 1989 and departed in 2020. Her career also includes roles in the comedy series Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and appearances as a panelist on Loose Women. She also participated in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2020.
According to estimates,approximately one in seven women in the UK will develop breast cancer during their lifetime.
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