EastEnders’ Cheryl Fergison reveals support from co-stars during secret cancer diagnosis
EastEnders star Cheryl Fergison has opened up about the incredible support she received during her secret cancer battle.
Discussing the diagnosis with The Mirror, which was given by doctors back in 2015 and never publicly revealed until now, the former Heather Trott portrayer explained how the late Dame Barbara Windsor came to her rescue through financial generosity.
“I can hear her now saying, ‘Come on darling, how are you feeling? You know you can get through this,'” said Fergison, who was invited to Windsor and husband Scott Mitchell’s home after they learned of her cancer news.
“I popped to the loo and when I came back Barb said, ‘right, darling, how much? How much are your bills and your mortgage because we’d like to support you’. I was in shock and said no but Barbs was insistent – I wasn’t earning. They sat there and wrote a cheque. I was sobbing but Barbara hugged me and said: ‘don’t worry. We’re always going to be here for you’. Their support meant the world to me.
“When I was in EastEnders, I would go to Barbara’s dressing room and June [Brown’s] every day and I loved their stories. Barbara was no nonsense – if she didn’t like something she would let you know – but she was also a great person to tell your problems too. She’d say: ‘Whatever’s going on in your own four walls, when you go outside, put on a smile – the public don’t want to see you miserable, darling,” she added.
Elsewhere in the interview, Fergison suggested now is “the right time to talk about it” now that she’s in the clear from Stage Two womb cancer.
“My family and I have been through a lot but we’re still here,” shared the soap star. “Yes, there were some dark moments when I thought: ‘Am I going to die? Am I going to leave my husband without a wife, my son without a mum?’ But I am strong and I’d knock those thoughts away. I was determined that it wasn’t going to beat me.”