DAME'S DIAGNOSIS Julie's secret battle

THE ACTRESS REVEALS HER BRUSH WITH BOWEL CANCER

- Judy Kean

She’s been a formidable force for so long that it’s hard to imagine the British acting industry without Dame Julie Walters.

But following her lifechanging diagnosis of stage three bowel cancer 18 months ago, the acclaimed actress says her next film, The Secret Garden, may be her last. She admits her attitude towards acting has completely changed and having to step back from work while she was having treatment for the disease was a huge relief in some ways.

“I was due to do two big series and there were two films,” she told TV presenter Victoria Derbyshire during an interview. “And I just didn’t have to do any of it. That was wonderful.

“It was a relief to get off this merry-go-round. It’s stressful, even if it is exciting stress. In between jobs, I work like mad on a character.”

Julie (70) missed filming a couple of scenes for The Secret Garden and also had to skip the premiere of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again in 2018 while she was recovering. Her PR team said she had a ruptured hernia, so she could keep her diagnosis secret.

“My agent said, ‘We are not going to tell anyone, that is up to you. We have said you’ve had a ruptured hernia.’

“I didn’t want to go to the Mamma Mia! premiere, it was just a few weeks [after the surgery], and I thought, ‘Oh God, I’m going to have to lie to everyone.’ So [the hernia story] was put about.”

The following year she hinted at having been ill when she announced she was taking a year off work after a hectic schedule that included filming Mamma Mia 2 and Paddington 2.