Former Coronation Street actress Katie McGlynn has told how her hard-hitting soap storyline is still saving lives to this day. In 2018 Katie's much-loved character Sinead Osbourn was diagnosed with cervical cancer while she was pregnant with her son Bertie.
When she was given the heartbreaking diagnosis she initially kept the news from her new husband Daniel and only confided in her father-in-law Ken Barlow, a secret that almost tore the family apart. In January 2019, after having chemotherapy which she delayed over fears it could harm her unborn child, Sinead had to have an emergency cesarean section at 27 weeks so that she could start life-saving radiotherapy and she welcomed baby Bertie.
After exchanging vows in a surprise pagan wedding ceremony in the Victoria Street community garden, Sinead and Daniel said 'I do' again the following September. But the bride was devastated when her aunt Beth Sutherland found a lump on her neck while doing her hair at the reception.
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The new mum discovered that her cancer was terminal after spreading to her lymph nodes and her liver and the following month she passed away with Daniel and Bertie by her side. Coronation Street worked closely with charities Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust and Mummy’s Star, dedicated to women and their families affected by cancer during pregnancy or within 12 months of giving birth, and their families, on the storyline to ensure accuracy.
Katie McGlynn and co-star Rob Mallard became celebrity patrons of Mummy’s Star in January 2019, and Katie, 29, is looking forward to celebrating their work at their 10th anniversay charity ball on Saturday, June 17 at Manchester's Kimpton Clock Tower Hotel.
"I'm so thrilled that we're able to do this ball to mark 10 years of dedication and ridiculously hard working people. Before Sinead's storyline I never thought about getting cancer when you're pregnant. I worked closely with Mummy's Star on the storyline and the charity is something I'm passionate about," she told us.
"It's an impossible predicament to be in and I still don't know to this day what I would do if it was me. With Sinead she was a deep down lovely person. At the very end she was still thinking about climate change."
In the soap Sinead was informed she couldn't have had cervical screening (a smear test) because she was told she was too young at 24. Sinead's story has prompted calls from viewers to lower the age for a smear test, which checks the health of the cervix.
The NHS states that all women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 should be invited by letter for the test. According to the NHS, it isn't recommended for anyone younger because in England cervical cancer is very rare in people under 25 and it might lead to having treatment they do not need – abnormal cell changes often go back to normal in younger women.
"I knew it was going to be difficult but the experts working on the storyline and the writing team were fabulous," said Katie. "One of the mums, who has since sadly passed away, helped me with the scene where Sinead gave birth. I don't have a child so I would never have known what it would be like."
"I'm still getting messages from people saying what impact it had on their lives and it solidifies why I did the story and why it was the right decision. I'm proud."
She continued: "I was inundated with messages from girls saying they've been checked out since and I still get girls coming up to me today talking to me about the storyline. I just went in and I did my job and I didn't know it would have the impact on lives that it has. I've been told by people that it has saved their life."
Katie, who won best serial drama performance for her heart-breaking portrayal as Sinead Tinker at the National Television Awards, is currently making her professional theatre debut in a new production of Peter James’ thriller Wish You Were Dead, playing pathologist Cleo Morley.
The play has just been on at The Lowry at Salford Quays, a stone's throw from the Coronation Street set, and is touring across the UK. She told us: "It's something different to what I've done before. It's been a really good experience on the stage with a live audience."
To buy tickets for the Mummy's Star 10th Anniversary Ball, hosted by Jenny Powell and Victoria Ekanoye, to celebrate 10 years of supporting families and remembering those no longer with us, visit mummysstar.org/charityball.
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