Actress Beverley Callard is "quite badly burnt" after completing radiotherapy for breast cancer, but has already returned to work filming.
The 69-year-old former Coronation Street star, who was diagnosed with the illness earlier this year, spoke about her ongoing health and the side effects of her treatment during an appearance on the Irish chat show The Six O'Clock Show.
Callard explained that the physical toll of the radiation treatment became noticeable shortly after her hospital sessions concluded.
"The side effects of radiotherapy began to affect me a few days after I'd finished," she said. "Nausea, really tired and just wiped out a little bit. And I'm quite badly burnt. But I'm coping really well, actually. I'm back at work again, I'm back filming."
Despite the painful skin reaction, the actress expressed pride in her ability to maintain her professional schedule throughout the grueling process.
"I got through it amazingly well," Callard added. "I didn't have any time off work. I didn't miss a day. So I was really sort of proud of myself for that."
According to the NHS, radiotherapy commonly causes skin irritation or a burning sensation known as radiation dermatitis, which resembles severe sunburn in the treated area.
Filming schedule and diagnosis
Callard joined the cast of the RTÉ soap opera Fair City in February, playing Lily, the quirky and unpredictable long-lost mother of Carrigstown resident Gwen. Fair City is Ireland's flagship television soap opera, produced by national broadcaster RTÉ and set in the fictional Dublin suburb of Carrigstown.
That same month, just as she was preparing to step onto the set, Callard received a phone call from her doctor informing her of the breast cancer diagnosis. She immediately returned to the UK to undergo surgery and begin treatment.
Addressing her decision to continue working despite advice to rest, Callard explained that staying active on set provided a vital distraction during her recovery.
"If you are, you just sit and feel sorry for yourself," she said of staying home. "Believe me, I've done that as well, as we all do. But I need my mind to be occupied. If I've got lines to learn, it really helps. And believe me, I've had loads to learn, so it's been good."
Callard noted that friends and colleagues had urged her not to rush back to set and to prioritize resting at home, but she felt keeping busy was beneficial for her mental well-being.
Looking ahead to her upcoming medical assessments, Callard stated that she is waiting to hear how effective the radiotherapy has been.
"I don't know the actual prognosis yet, I see my oncologist again in two weeks time," she said. "So I'll know more then, but I'm doing well."
Treatment history and prognosis
Callard, best known to television viewers for her long-running role as Liz McDonald on the ITV soap Coronation Street, first publicly revealed her diagnosis on Ireland's The Late Late Show earlier this year. At that time, she announced that surgeons were removing her lymph nodes as a precautionary measure to prevent the cancer from spreading.
In May, the actress shared that medical professionals were concerned she should have started radiotherapy sooner following her initial breast cancer diagnosis, admitting the news "wasn't what she wanted to hear" during a hospital consultation.
Despite those concerns, Callard confirmed at the time that she remained able to work while awaiting treatment. Last week, she updated followers on social media after visiting St. Luke's Hospital to finalize her care plan with her radiotherapist.
"Well, I'm back home now after my visit to St. Luke's to see the radiotherapist," Callard said last week. "He just said that I'll be having 10 days of radiotherapy, five consecutive days, then a weekend off, then five more days. I'm not sure when it starts yet. They'll let me know."
She added that the hospital would contact her to schedule a body scan and mapping procedure before the treatment sessions commenced.
Understanding breast cancer and treatment options
Breast cancer is one of the most widespread cancers globally, affecting more than two million women each year. In the UK, more than 55,000 new cases are diagnosed annually, resulting in 11,500 deaths, while in the US, the disease strikes 266,000 people each year and claims 40,000 lives.
The disease originates from an abnormal cell in the lining of a breast duct or lobule that multiplies out of control due to genetic alterations. When cancer cells break through into surrounding tissue, it is classified as invasive breast cancer, whereas cases confined within the duct or lobule are termed carcinoma in situ.
Although breast cancer most frequently develops in women over the age of 50, it can also affect younger women and, in rare instances, men. Tumors are staged from stage 1 (earliest) to stage 4 (spread to other organs) and graded from low (slow-growing) to high (fast-growing and more prone to recurrence).
The primary symptom is typically a painless breast lump, though most lumps are benign, fluid-filled cysts. If the disease spreads, it usually reaches the armpit lymph nodes first, causing localized swelling.
Diagnosis involves physical examination, mammography X-rays, and microscopic tissue biopsies, followed by staging tests such as blood work, liver ultrasounds, or chest X-rays. Medical treatment typically combines surgery, high-energy radiotherapy beams, anti-cancer chemotherapy drugs, and hormone therapies targeting estrogen levels.
Prognosis is highest when tumors are detected early before spreading. In the UK, routine NHS mammogram screening is offered to women aged 50 to 71. Support and guidance are available through organisations such as Breast Cancer Now on their free helpline at 0808 800 6000 or via breastcancernow.org.
