Former Emmerdale actress Natalie Anderson has urged her followers to get checked out after discovering she had a burst ovarian cyst.
Natalie, who played Alicia Gallagher in the rural soap for five years, says she had nagging pain for months but made excuses not to go to a doctor.
But she was so much pain this week she underwent some scans and admits it could have been much worse if she'd continued to ignore it.
Sharing a photo on Instagram from last week of herself looking relaxed by a lake, she said: "This is NOT how I feel right now as I’ve been in bed all week with a burst ovarian cyst.
"So bloody painful! Stupidly I’d left it even though it had been nagging me for months.
"In my head I made so many excuses why I couldn’t get to the doctors, too busy, it’s nothing etc etc.
"Well that was silly because this week I’ve been in so much pain, had to have several scans and lost about a weeks worth of work whilst I’ve had to rest up.
"However it could have been a lot worse had I not in the end got it checked out!"
Natalie says she was urged to get checked by her friend Natalie Woodward who is battling bowel cancer.
"To be honest it was chatting to our gorgeous Nat @missiontoremission that really made me do something about it," she explained.
"Please listen to her when she says if something is bothering you with your health, don’t wait get it checked out!!"
Updating followers about her current health Natalie said: "I’m fine if a bit sore and frustrated but things can be very different if you leave an issue untreated. Make sure you look after yourself. #wellbeing #wellness #getchecked."
Natalie, 38, who starred in Emmerdale from 2010 to 2015, recently interviewed Manchester actress Natasha Naomi Rea for her lifestyle and wellbeing podcast The Capsule In Conversation about the success of her memoir Me, Myself and Bipolar Brenda, about her personal journey with bipolar disorder, the benefits of exercise and the holistic approach she takes to managing the condition plus her work with the charity Bipolar UK and the #speakoutlikebrenda campaign.
