Actress Victoria Ekanoye has been an inspiration to many after speaking out about her breast cancer journey. And now the former Coronation Street star is travelling the globe with a mission to save lives while breaking a taboo.
The Bury actress and singer was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2021. She underwent a double mastectomy just months after welcoming her baby boy Theo with her partner Jonny Lomas.
Victoria, 41, was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ - when cancer cells have developed within the milk ducts in the breast. She visited three separate doctors to get a diagnosis after having a 'gut feeling' that something wasn't right.
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The mother-of-one, who gave birth to Theo in January 2021, found a lump while she was breastfeeding her baby boy. Ahead of her surgery Victoria, who played Angie Appleton in Corrie, dazzled at a 'Bye Bye Boobies' party to raise funds for Prevent Breast Cancer and Sickle Cell Care Manchester.
Victoria, who starred in The Lion King in the West End and played Angie in Coronation Street from 2017 until 2019, is now filming a documentary called The Naked Truth to shine a light on the 'challenges and triumphs' of black women living with cancer in Afica and the African diaspora. She and her crew will be filming in Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco, Kentya, America and in the UK.
"I'm filming a global breast cancer documentary called The Naked Truth," she told us. "I've been as open as I possibly can be about my cancer journey in the hope that it will encourage others to advocate for themselves, as that's one the reasons I'm here today to be able to do this.
"As a patron of Prevent Breast Cancer with my mum, who had breast cancer in 2003, it's really just a privilege and an honour to be able do this. I feel lucky that I have survived this and I feel lucky that I have a platform that I can hope to amplify voices for those people that either don't feel they can speak out or be heard for whatever reason."
Victoria said: "I was diagnised at 39, which was in the same year as having my baby boy, and the impact on my family was just immense and that was even with so much support and medical care so I simply cannot imagine what it must be like facing the fact that you have to fight for your life without access to treatment and care and to be afraid to talk about it, or even to be ashamed that you have cancer."
She explained: "There's a huge taboo in the African community and the diaspora when it comes to talking about cancer and it's heartbreaking to know that some people are being diagnosed with stage three and four cancer. Not because it was undetectable, but because they were too ashamed to talk about it with their friends or their family or to go to the doctor."
Victoria, whose family is from England, Ireland and Nigeria, says that through speaking at conferences and working with charities, she's noticed a disparity in the mortality rate of black women and breast cancer.
"It's heartbreaking because it shouldn't be that way," she said. "Cancer doesn't discriminate in any way. which we know. It weeds its way into people's lives and it's devastating for anyone that it impacts. I feel I'm doing what I can here and across the pond and it's really powerful and emotional to film."
Victoria is working on the documentary with Prevent Breast Cancer and fellow survivors Leanne Pero, the founder of Black Women Rising who was diagnosed at 30 years old with stage three breast cancer, and Ricki Fairley, the CEO of Touch the Black Breast Cancer Alliance, who was given two years to live after being diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, a rare and aggressive form of the disease.
After being given a second chance of life after rigorous chemotherapy, Ricki went on to support black people with breast cancer with her organisation and change the conversation around how the disease is treated. "With triple negative breast cancer the mortality rate is devastatingly high for black women so we're trying to understand that," said Victoria.
The documentary will talk to families and survivors, research teams, scientists, oncologists and healthcare departments. It will discuss barriers to treatemts as well as delivering positive calls for action. It will help to answer questions members of the public might have, and provide links to where people requiring treatment and support can turn.
"It's keeping us up at night not being able to help everyone, but if The Naked Truth helps one family, saves just one person, then it's absolutely worth it. Breast cancer is on the rise globally so whatever I can do I plan to do it." Alongside the documentary Victoria is starting a global fundraising platform on social media including Twitter, TikTok and Facebook.
"If we can all come together I feel that we will only get stronger," she said. "I feel in my gut that more can be done and more will be done and it's about helping each other."
She added: "I know how much it's impacted me and I had so much support, so much love. I got through it, I'm alive and I'm here to tell the story and that should be the case. No-one should die from this horrible disease. No-one should die."
On Saturday, June 17 Victoria is hosting the 10th anniversary ball for the charity Mummy’s Star, which supports women and birthing people, and their families, dealing with cancer in and around pregnancy. She is teaming up with TV presenter Jenny Powell to host the ball at the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in Manchester. To book tickets visit mummysstar.org/charityball
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