Former Hollyoaks star Ali Bastian has shared an update on her treatment for breast cancer.
Bastian, who played Becca Dean on the Channel 4 soap, was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in June, announcing it publicly in September. She's undergoing weekly chemotherapy ahead of a mastectomy and radiotherapy treatment early next year.
Speaking with The Sun's Fabulous magazine, Bastian opened up about losing her hair as a side effect of chemotherapy, sharing she felt hesitant for a "split second" 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 said.
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"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. I thought it would be like losing my identity," she explained.
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"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."
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Bastian discovered a lump in her breast while breastfeeding her daughter Izzy.
After being given antibiotics for a possible blocked duct, she was told to check back with the GP if the pain didn't subside in a few days. She was then sent to a specialist clinic, where cancer was discovered.
"Pregnancy and breastfeeding are sensitive times for women, and we're not exempt from needing to check our breasts during this time," the actor said.
"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."
If you would like more information or support about living with cancer or treatment, please click here for guidance from Macmillan Cancer Support, or click here to learn more from Stand Up to Cancer.
Hollyoaks airs on Mondays-Wednesdays with its Channel 4 streaming premiere at 7am, then an E4 broadcast the same night at 7pm. Full episodes are also released on YouTube a week after their Channel 4 release.
Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.
