LORRAINE BAYLY - ‘PLAYING GRACE WAS A JOY!'

THE SULLIVANS MATRIARCH REFLECTS ON HER LIFE AND CAREER AFTER A SERIES OF HEALTH SETBACKS

- Craig Bennett

After enduring a run of horror health woes described as her “two and a half years of hell”, Lorraine Bayly is thrilled to be back in the pink and smiling again.

“The past few years have been a nightmare, as I lurched from one serious health issue to the next,” the television treasure tells New Idea. “I am usually an upbeat person, so it’s wonderful to have turned the corner ... to be healthy and happy.”

Lorraine, 84, says her spell of bad health began shortly after visiting close friend, the late Cornelia Frances, in hospital in early 2018.

“Corny was in her last days with cancer ... Days later I began to struggle with a prolonged flu, which led to pneumonia and a partially collapsed lung.”

Then in 2019, Lorraine was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer and underwent a right breast mastectomy. Her surgeon also removed five lymph nodes. The cancerous mass was “the size of a peach”.

Lorraine tells New Idea she’s still coming to grips with her mastectomy, explaining she has a “weird feeling of lopsidedness”.

“For more than 80 years I’ve been in tip-top health, so to suddenly find myself ailing with an array of maladies was confronting. That’s when I made the decision to retire...bringing the curtain down on a 62-year showbiz career I’ve loved immeasurably.”