Emmerdale star Malandra Burrows has revealed she has undergone major surgery after being diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.
The actress, who is best known for playing Kathy Glover in Emmerdale between 1985 and 2001, is now facing a six-month course of grueling chemotherapy after finding a lump in her left breast.
Malandra has bravely opened up about her diagnosis, which she received back in February, in the hope that it will raise awareness and encourage other women to get checked out if they notice changes in their bodies.
The actress told OK Magazine: "You may think you’re super healthy, but that little 'C' word can still get you. I just happened to catch myself [while exercising] and thought, 'Good grief, what’s that?'
"I thought it must be a gland, but a few days later it was still there, so I rang my GP and they asked if I could come in the next hour. A week later I was at the hospital and the first consultant told me it was a cyst. He said, 'I won’t be seeing you again'. The relief I felt!"
Malandra went on to reveal that her whole world changed when a follow-up scan and ultrasound revealed something sinister... "The consultant said they needed to see me as soon as possible and added, 'Could you bring someone with you?' But I thought I’ve got to take this on my own. I’m single and I felt I couldn’t do that to a friend."
But thankfully, Malandra wasn't alone when she went to the appointment... "When I went in, I found myself greeted by a Macmillan nurse and I just knew. She nearly broke down telling me, but I just went, 'Don’t be daft! We’ll get through it and I’m going to ring that bell [to celebrate the end of treatment].'"
"Davina McCall has done a fabulous job of bringing menopause to the forefront, but I have never heard of menopausal cancer before," she continued. "They said because of the oestrogen and the way your hormonal balance changes, it’s one of the most major causes of breast cancer."
Malandra landed her role as Kathy Glover in Emmerdale just three months after she left drama school and what a role it was. Not only did Kathy become one of the soap's longest-running characters but she was involved in huge storylines such as being kidnapped by a diamond thief, knocked down by a horse and she also earned a name for herself as one of the most-married residents of the village.
Malandra was also a contestant on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2006 and enjoyed a career as a pop singer with her first single "Just This Side of Love" reaching number 11 on the UK charts in 1990.
