Coronation Street star Beverley Callard has said it “made me cry all over again” to watch her exit from I’m A Celebrity… South Africa, which she said marked the start of her breast cancer diagnosis.
Callard was advised by medics to leave the ITV reality show days before the final, and told campmates she “didn’t feel well” after having “a bit of a funny turn”.
As she tearfully said her goodbyes, the 69-year-old said she was “absolutely gutted and wanted to finish” her time on the all-star show, and that she “wanted to prove that older women could do it”.
The actress, who revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer in February, shared her emotional reaction to her departure in a video shared to Instagram on Tuesday night.
She said: “Well, I’ve just watched my exit on I’m A Celeb, and it made me cry all over again because, of course, I didn’t know then that I had cancer, but I just knew that the last couple of days there I had not felt very well.
“What happened was I was called into the Bush Telegraph, and apparently I lost consciousness for a little while and I went yonder-ly, as they say, and I just wasn’t feeling myself.
“They took me to a medical hut, they were amazing. They really looked after me. And then they said, ‘You can’t go back’.
“And I said, ‘Don’t send me home, I’m sure I’ll be fine’, you know, I had jumped out of a plane, hung off a cliff, and I did want to succeed and make it through to the end.
“But that was the start of everything, really. So it’s made me really emotional. But I will beat this. I will beat it.”
Beneath the post Callard, best known for her role as Liz McDonald in Coronation Street, wrote: “That was such an emotional watch… especially knowing what I know now.
“I wanted to prove that age is just a number and I feel so proud of what I achieved. Just got to get through this real life trial now #imaceleb.”
Since announcing her diagnosis of early-stage breast cancer in February, the actress has documented her treatment on her Instagram and has recently undergone surgery to remove the cancer.
Callard’s comments were flooded with support from fans and fellow celebrities including I’m A Celeb co-star Ashley Roberts, who wrote: “You did prove that Bev. Sending love and so proud of you.”
Singer Coleen Nolan said “so proud of you Bev” followed by a heart emoji, and comedian Jon Richardson commented: “Sending love Beverley.”
Other celebrities to offer their support include Emmerdale actress Hayley Soraya Tamaddon and socialite Lizzie Cundy.
