Former Coronation Street star Victoria Ekanoye has revealed she underwent a double mastectomy after finding a lump in her breast in October.
The mum-of-one, now 40, first sought medical advice after finding a lump while feeding her baby boy, Theo.
She was tragically forced to undergo the procedure over the holidays despite it being her first Christmas with her newborn son.
Victoria, who is the fifth member of her family to have had breast cancer, says the lump was so big she did not have to look for it.
Despite doctors initially thinking it was benign, Victoria sought a third opinion before being told she did indeed have breast cancer.
Victoria was diagnoses with an early form of breast cancer called DCIS, ductal carcinoma in situ, meaning milk duct cells had turned cancerous.
She told The Sun: “I cried. I knew I would have to tell people I love and care about. I hate worrying them. Breastfeeding saved me. I may not have detected it otherwise.
“When they told me it was very treatable and potentially surgery would be curative, there was no option but the double mastectomy.”
Speaking about undergoing the enormous procedure, she explained that she did it for peace of mind given her family’s history of the disease.
“I just don’t want to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life. I’ve got a baby boy and family and friends, so I wanted to eliminate as much risk as possible. It is peace of mind.”
Victoria and boyfriend Jonny Lomas, 33, faced further difficulty at the city’s Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester because Victoria has blood condition sickle cell anaemia which increased her risk of a stroke by having her op.
“I remember trying to be positive. They’d told me the cancer hadn’t spread, they’d caught it early.
"As I went to theatre they started asking me about Théo which kept me calm.”
Victoria previously spoke to Daily Star about her feelings on the surgery prior to it taking place.
Speaking at an event in November, she informed reporters that her operation was nearing and said: "I'm living as much as I can up until that point. Not that I won't be afterwards, but I will be off my feet for a while."
She added: ""I'm just trying to do what I can, help out with my charities and enjoy life."
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