Soap star Laila Morse has credited her late EastEnders co-star Wendy Richard for 'saving her life' before she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
The EastEnders star, 76, survived breast cancer 21 years ago and only got a lump checked because her co-star insisted.
She explained: “I found this lump and I thought: ‘Ah, it can’t be much.’ So I went into work and I told Wendy Richard and she said: ‘Go to the doctor, I don’t like the sound of that. I’m going on holiday, so when I come back the first thing I’m gonna do is ring you up and find out if you went.’
“Anyway, I didn’t go. When she came back, she rang me and said: ‘Have you been to the doctor’s?’ and I went: ‘Erm, yeah, he didn’t say much.’ That’s all I said and I thought: ‘I ought to go,’ so I did. He wrote a note and within two weeks I’d had the test done, a mammogram, and I had breast cancer.”
Laila, who plays Big Mo Slater in the soap, had the lymph nodes removed from her left breast.
“All this part is missing,” she told.
“And then my sister got it and then my friend got it - and then Wendy died from the second lot of cancer she had.
"And I think if it hadn’t been for her, I don’t think I would be here today really. I’m doing this so everybody knows to get it checked up.”
Laila, 76, is a part of Strictly The Real Full Monty - which is choreographed by Diversity founder Ashley Banjo raises awareness for cancer.
The soap star was also joined on stage by former Strictly Come Dancing professionals James and Ola Jordan, Blue's Duncan James and Paddy McGuinness' wife Christine.
Love Islanders Demi Jones and Teddy Soares, Loose Women's Brenda Edwards and Coleen Nolan, property show host Martin Roberts and Welsh Olympian Colin Jackson completed the line-up.
Strictly the Real Full Monty airs December 13 and 14 at 9pm on ITV.
