Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Ellie Iorizzo & Mark Jefferies

EastEnders legend Samantha Womack would have delayed cancer treatment to aid NHS strikes

Samantha Womack has told how she would have delayed her cancer treatment to stand with striking NHS staff.

And the 50-year-old actor has demanded they get paid properly amid stories of nurses using foodbanks.

Former EastEnders star Samantha, who was ­diagnosed with breast cancer last year, said of the NHS: “This is one of the best gifts that we have in this country.

“But when you’ve got people who are working as hard as they are doing the hours they are, not being supported, even if it would have delayed my own personal treatment, I would have been out there fighting with them, because I’m absolutely desperate for them to be paid properly.

“They certainly shouldn’t be eating from foodbanks.”

Olivia Newton-John passed away last August after breast cancer fight (AFP via Getty Images)

Samantha told how she beat her cancer this year. She revealed her own diagnosis after the death of Olivia Newton-John from the disease last August.

Samantha added: “We weren’t close, we only spent one evening together.

“But it was poignant for me when I got my ­diagnosis that she had lost her battle.”

Samantha, who played Ronnie Mitchell in Walford until 2017, is now supporting a campaign for women to access AI breast tumour diagnostic tool Digistain. It helps them ­understand treatment that will benefit them, ­potentially avoiding gruelling chemotherapy.

The actor, who had two bouts said: “I didn’t need it so much and it was as a prevention. I’m still having side effects from that treatment.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.