Former Hollyoaks star Ali Bastian has marked a big milestone in her cancer treatment, confirming she has nearly finished chemotherapy.
The actor, who played Becca Dean on the Channel 4 soap, was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in June and has been undergoing weekly chemotherapy ahead of a mastectomy and radiotherapy treatment early next year.
Taking to Instagram this week, Bastian confirmed that she has now completed five months of chemo and is halfway through her final round.
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"I got to ring (the tiny little bell I stole from my kid's music box as they don’t do the bell thing here in Ireland) after five months, 16 rounds of chemotherapy," she wrote.
"I’m still halfway through this last cycle, so much still to process on every level. Chemo is major.
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"The oncology nursing team at the Dunmanway CUH are INCREDIBLE, I said to them as I left… it’s not that I never want to see them again because I love them all so much. I just hope the next time I do we all have a glass of Prosecco in our hands raising money and awareness for all their incredible work."
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Bastian concluded by encouraging others who are going through the same thing and thanking fans for their support, writing: "For anyone going through this, you think the end will never come and then through the fog… the goal posts appear.
"You are not alone. Thank you all so, so much. I read every kind word of support and it honestly gets me through."
Last month, Bastian opened up about losing her hair as a side effect of chemo, sharing: "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."
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.
