Ali Bastian has shared an insight into her life half a year after being given the all-clear from breast cancer — and says she’s learning to find joy again in the simplest things.
The actress, 43, revealed she had been diagnosed with stage two breast cancer in September 2024 after discovering a lump while breastfeeding her baby daughter.
She kept her followers updated throughout her health journey, including sharing an emotional video of herself shaving her hair off.
Bastian was declared cancer-free in March this year after undergoing a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment.
Born in Windsor, Berkshire, Bastian now lives in Cork, Ireland, with her husband, actor David O’Mahony, and their two young daughters, Isabella and Isla Rose. The family relocated several years ago, swapping the bustle of city life for a calmer pace.
“I live in the countryside, by the sea, and I’m really grateful for that,” she tells the Standard via OLBG. “Life feels simpler and more grounded, and that simplicity brings me happiness.
“Work-wise, I still love what I do and definitely want to keep doing it. It’s just about finding the right projects at the right time. I’ve always believed that the right job tends to appear when you least expect it, so I’m staying open, patient and positive about what’s next.”
One thing she wouldn’t say no to is a return to Hollyoaks, the show that originally shot her to fame when she joined in 2001.
This year marks Hollyoaks’ 30th anniversary, and Bastian’s character Becca Dean — the idealistic English teacher whose affair with pupil Justin Burton caused one of the soap’s most controversial storylines — remains a fan favourite almost two decades later.
Despite Becca being tragically killed off in 2007, Bastian says she would be “very open” to heading back to Hollyoaks Village — if only to knock some sense into her on-screen son Charlie, whose recent storyline saw him spiral into debt due to drug addiction and attempt to repay it by extorting money from his aunt after kidnapping his young cousin.
“Absolutely, yes,” she says when drawn on the subject. “Especially given what Charlie’s going through, I think Becca needs to come back and have a word with him! I’d be very open to it. I know she died in the show, but anything’s possible in soap land. I’d love to return, even just briefly. I love that show and everyone involved.”
Bastian — whose screen credits also include The Bill, Doctors and a stint on Strictly Come Dancing in 2009 — says she’s still in touch with a number of her former castmates.
“I live in Ireland now, and Jodi Albert lives here too, so I see her when I can. Carly Stenson, who played Steph Dean, has also been an incredible friend. During my treatment last year, she was amazing — literally on the floor playing with my kids while heavily pregnant, just being there for me.
Jodi was one of the first people I told when I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” she explains. “They’ve both been in my life since I was 19, and our friendships go way beyond the show now. We’ve made new memories and supported each other through everything — the good, the bad and the ugly.
What I appreciate now is just how lucky I was to be doing what I loved every day. It was my dream job. I always felt grateful, but looking back now, I realise even more how special that time was. I was really lucky to get that break at 19.”
