Coronation Street legend Sally Dynevor has opened up about how playing the role of Sally Metcalfe has saved her life.
The Coronation Street favourite has played the role of Sally since 1986, but while the character might have survived prison, had a grand total of ten affairs and been the subject of domestic abuse, Sally's most memorable storyline came when she discovered she had breast cancer in 2009.
During Dynevor's research for the storyline, she then made the devastating discovery that she also had breast cancer in real life.
"Unfortunately, or fortunately, at the same time, I found out I had breast cancer. Life imitating art, I suppose. If I didn’t have these scripts, I would never have checked myself. Coronation Street saved my life," Sally told The Guardian.
Oncology surgeon Lester Barr, who was a consultant on Sally's cancer storyline on Coronation Street was the one who told Dynevor she had cancer: "I thought he was mixing me up with the character. I had to leave the show for six months, but I wanted to carry on because I had this great storyline. It sounds crazy now. I thought ‘I’ll have the lumpectomy and be back at work on Monday.'"
But sadly Sally's treatment was more extensive than that, and she faced a grueling round of chemotherapy to fight cancer.
Luckily Sally's treatment was a success and she was able to return to the job she has now been doing for the last 36 years... "I was wearing a wig and I walked on the cobbles on my own. I was so glad to be back. It was a place just for me, away from real life, from my children. I was thinking: ‘I am so lucky to have this job’ and I still feel that today."
Most recently Sally has taken on the challenge of a lifetime appearing in Dancing On Ice 2022. But despite new challenges away from the cobbles, her heart has always belonged in Weatherfield, even when Jean Alexander, who played Coronation Street's Hilda Ogden told her she should go out and explore the world just five years into her time on the soap.
Thankfully for soap fans, Sally didn’t take her advice... “Some actors don’t like it – they don’t enjoy the length and the process. But some thrive there, and I’m one of those.”
Coronation Street airs hour-long episodes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8 pm on ITV — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on ITV Hub.
