STAYING STRONG
More than 20 years may have passed since her cancer diagnosis, but TV star Amanda Mealing tells us it feels like no time at all.
“Life happens,” says the 56-year-old Holby City and Casualty actress, when we meet for our exclusive chat. “It’s a journey and only you go through it. You can have all the love and support around you but you’re the only person that travels with it.”
Amanda was only 34 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer – just 24 hours after giving birth to her second son, Otis. Looking back, she still can’t believe how it happened.
“It was shocking. I’d always bought my pink ribbon in October but never thought about what that would entail,” she says. “I’d just given birth – my hormones and emotions were all over the place.”
Looking back on that traumatic time, she tells us it was “literally like the world stopped” as she listened to the consultant’s words. “I was in a bubble afterwards,” she reveals. “I could see and faintly hear other people around me. I was thinking, ‘How are you carrying on?’ It’s a bizarre thing, but I’m a fighter. I also had a newborn and a three-year-old. I thought, ‘You are not taking me now.’ I wasn’t going to give up.”
It was thanks to Amanda’s father-in-law that her condition was investigated so quickly. The retired GP examined the star when she complained of what she thought was a blocked milk duct during the latter stages of her pregnancy.
This story is from the October 09, 2023 edition of OK! UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 09, 2023 edition of OK! UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
TAKE CARE OF YOUR GUT
Simple lifestyle and dietary changes can improve digestion, boost immunity and enhance your overall wellbeing
I'll cherish my friendship with Vito for the rest of my life'
Last year's Strictly winner Ellie Leach tells OK! about life on tour in Cluedo 2 and reuniting with her dance partner
'If one little thing had gone wrong, my entire path in life would have changed'
TV presenter Charlene White on her strict Jamaican upbringing in southeast London, her own tough parenting style and why she'd love the Princess of Wales to be a guest on Loose Women
I have seen cockroaches the size of terriers'
Joanna Lumley shares travel tales that aren't for the faint-hearted, Ab Fab gossip and other stories from her legendary screen career
'Once you become a parent, the times when you leave the house are extra special'
Comedian Joel Dommett on returning to the I'm A Celebrity jungle and how fatherhood has changed him
'We're so pleased our rainbow baby is here'
Mrs Brown's Boys actor Gary Hollywood and his wife Cherylanne invite us into their home to meet special new arrival Carter
'Ballroom dancing is your real school of life'
Former Strictly star Kristina Rihanoff on why she thought she'd never dance again after becoming a mum and how her daughter Mila is now following in her footsteps
A CELEBRATION FOR THE KING
As King Charles marks his 76th birthday, we hear how our beloved monarch may take time to reflect on a difficult year and look ahead to a busy, brighter 2025
WILLIAM'S 'BRUTAL' YEAR
The Prince Of Wales praises his wife and father as he opens up on the tough challenges of 2024 while visiting Cape Town to present the Earthshot Prize Awards
'Love is there for absolutely everybody'
Emmerdale star James Moore - who has cerebral palsy and once thought he would never marry - and his wife Sophie Edwards chat to OK! about their big day