Dame Julie Walters has revealed that she kept her cancer diagnosis so secret that she didn't even tell her daughter Maisie.
The Mamma Mia actress spent 18 months undergoing treatment for bowel cancer and didn't speak publicly about her diagnosis until this year when she was told that she is in remission.
The star, who is also known for her role as Molly Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise, has told The Daily Telegraph magazine that she "couldn't bear the thought of everyone worrying, particularly my daughter", which is why she kept the news so quiet.
"I told (Maisie) I needed to have my appendix removed because there was a problem. I couldn't say the word 'cancer' to her," Walters said.
Revealing that Maisie had simply responded, 'Okay, mum', Walters added: "She knew it probably didn't sound right, but she also knew I wasn't going to talk about it and she didn't push me."
BAFTA-winning actress Walters had two tumours removed from her colon and underwent chemotherapy before being given the all-clear, but she found it very difficult to talk to anyone except her husband Grant Roffey about what was going on.
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"I didn't want to upset people around me. I wanted to keep it small. Of course it was frightening, but Grant was with me every step," she said. "I didn't want to have to talk about it until I'd processed it myself. I still find it a bit hard to be honest."
Related: Julie Walters admits she thought Mamma Mia 2 was going to be "awful"
She also urged people to visit their GP if they are at all concerned about any symptoms, saying that she had visited her doctor with stomach pain, heartburn and vomiting but that she hadn't had blood in her stools, which is often a common symptom.
"I had some symptoms and not the others. My discomfort was really slight," she said. "Just go and make sure you get checked."
In February, the actress, who is also known for appearing alongside her long-time friend Victoria Wood in a number of TV comedies such as Dinnerladies, reassured fans that she is fortunately now "really well".
For more on bowel cancer, including information on signs and symptoms to look out for and support, please visit Bowel Cancer UK or Cancer Research.
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Reporter & Sub-Editor, Digital Spy Susannah is a freelance writer and sub-editor, specialising in the entertainment industry. She graduated in 2014, with a BA in English and American Literature and Creative Writing, and an MA in Creative Producing. She’s been writing for Digital Spy ever since, after first getting involved through work experience, and has written hundreds of stories for the site on a range of topics, from The Sims to Doctor Who. Susannah has also written for Reveal Magazine. Her special interests are soaps (her Mastermind subject would be 2000s Coronation Street), Marvel and Star Wars. She can also quote far too many lines from Friends and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
