AS she competes on this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing, Alex Kingston has revealed a secret cancer battle that left her haemorrhaging on stage.
Alex Kingston has revealed her secret cancer battle[/caption]
The actress underwent a hysterectomy and radiation therapy[/caption]
The actress, 62, was diagnosed with uterine (womb) cancer in May last year and underwent a hysterectomy as well as radiation therapy.
The BBC One star explained that she had experienced symptoms for a while but put it down to her age.
However, it all came to a head after she “haemorrhaged” while performing in a play on stage last Summer.
She told The Independent: “I never went down the cancer road in my head. It was a shock, because I have a very positive outlook on life in general.
“Even though my body was telling me there was something very seriously wrong, I kept thinking: ‘Oh, I’ve got a bad UTI or fibroids’.
Alex finished her stint for The Other Boleyn Girl at the West Sussex Theatre in April and May last year before seeking treatment.
She continued: “Despite having gone through all of that – and any cancer is really tough to accept, to steel yourself to go through all of the necessary procedures to get back into health – the minute I had the operation, I suddenly felt like myself again… [I] hadn’t felt like that for years.”
Alex is partnered with dancer Johannes Radebe on this series of the hit dancing show and has already made an impact with her two dances.
In the first week, the duo performed a Viennese Waltz and received a score of 21 from the judges.
During last week’s show, the two took to the dancefloor to do a Samba and the judges were thoroughly impressed with her.
Following the dance, Motsi Mabuse exclaimed: “”Wow, wow, wow. The timing was brilliant.”
Shirley Ballas commented: “This is probably one of the better Sambas I’ve seen in a long time.”
Anton Du Beke shouted: “I LOVE THAT,” while Craig Revel Horwood remained his usual self by adding: “It could have done with a little bit more tone and resistance.”
After both weeks scores were added together, Alex and Johannes ended up joint fourth on the leaderboard with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and his partner Lauren Oakley.
The other three pairs who pipped them to the post were Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin, Lewis Cope and Katya Jones and George Clarke and Alexis Warr.
What is Womb Cancer?
CANCER of the womb is often called uterine or endometrial cancer.
There are around 9,000 new cases every year in the UK, making it the fourth most common cancer in women.
Symptoms include:
- Bleeding after the menopause
- Bleeding that is unusually heavy or persistent between periods
- Abnormal vaginal discharge (this might be pink)
- Anaemia
- High platelet count
- High blood sugar levels
- Stomach pain
- Swollen tummy
- Bloating
- Change in bowel or bladder habits
- A new cough
Being overweight or obese is one of the biggest risks of womb cancer in the UK.
Other risk factors include age (most women diagnosed are aged 75 to 79), hormone replacement therapy (HRT), diabetes, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Source: Cancer Research UK
The first elimination on Sunday evening’s results show saw The Apprentice star Thomas Skinner and his partner Amy Dowden booted out the competition.
After landing near the bottom of the leader board, Thomas ended up facing off against former England rugby star Chris Robshaw and his partner Nadiya Bychkova, in the dance-off.
All four judges opted to save Chris and kicked Thomas out of the competition.
Speaking about his time on the show, Skinner said: “I’ve loved it. I’ve never danced before and my stay was short, but Amy’s amazing.
“It’s been great fun and I’ve enjoyed it. I can’t really dance that well but I’ve had fun! Thank you, Amy – sorry that we haven’t done too good, ’cause you’re a different class.”
She’s partnered with Johannes Radebe on this year’s Strictly[/caption]
