Coronation Street star Beverley Callard has revealed she has been diagnosed with breast cancer, confirming the illness was caught at a very early stage.
The 68-year-old actress, best known for playing Liz McDonald on the long-running ITV soap, shared the news during an appearance on RTÉ’s The Late Late Show on Friday. Speaking to host Patrick Kielty, Callard said she is due to undergo further medical tests before receiving surgery followed by radiotherapy.
Callard, who recently joined the cast of Irish soap Fair City, said she received the diagnosis in a phone call from her consultant just moments before she was due to begin filming. She explained that she had undergone tests shortly before leaving the UK and was preparing in her dressing room when the call came through.
“I was quite nervous anyway, thinking, ‘I hope everybody thinks I’m all right,’” she recalled. “Then my consultant rang me and said, ‘You’ve got to come back to the UK.’”
She said she initially explained she had just started a new job and would be away for a month, only to be told she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Callard confirmed the condition is in its “very early stages,” which doctors say significantly improves treatment outcomes.
The actress revealed she will travel back to the UK for a short period so doctors can carry out further tests, including checks on her lymph nodes and glands. “Then I need an operation and some radiotherapy,” she said, adding that she expects to return to Fair City within a few weeks.
Reassuring fans, Callard said she is feeling “absolutely fine” physically, though she admitted the diagnosis was mentally overwhelming at first. “My head was a bit mashed for the first few days,” she said, describing the emotional impact of the news.
Callard joined Coronation Street in the late 1980s and remained a central figure on the show for three decades before leaving in 2020. Beyond the cobbles, she has appeared in comedy series Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, served as a panellist on Loose Women, and took part in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!.
According to UK health statistics, around one in seven women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime, with early detection playing a crucial role in successful treatment.
