Leeds-born Coronation Street star Beverley Callard’s heartbreaking admission amid cancer battle
Long-time Coronation Street favourite Beverley Callard has made a heartbreaking admission amid her on-going cancer battle.
The TV star, who was born in Morley, revealed back in early February that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Best known for her time as Liz McDonald on the ITV soap, she told RTE’s Late Late Show last month that she was in the “early stages” and would be undergoing further treatment.
She has been documenting her cancer battle on social media, particularly on her Instagram page. In a heartbreaking post on Sunday (March 8), she told fans that she doesn’t feel “like a woman anymore”.
Speaking about attending a PR event for ITV in London, she spoke about feeling "unfeminine" after a recent operation and that it was “too soon”. But she had managed to pull herself together and would be heading off - promising to share photos of the “posh hotel” later.
In the comments, fans shared an outpouring of love and support for the TV star. One wrote: “Good luck. You've got this Bev. Plus you've got us lot cheering you on.”
Another said: “Aww you look bloody gorgeous, those rollercoaster feelings are a bloody nuisance . Just go with want you feel you're up to, and try not to put too much pressure on yourself. You're doing amazing.”
Fellow TV personality, Lizzie Cundy wrote: “You look amazing my friend. You’ve got this! Sending you huge love.”
In a further update on Sunday, Bev said: “We’ve arrived at the hotel 😍 Feeling even more nervous now…. But it’s international women’s day so I’m standing strong and putting a middle finger up to cancer.”
Born in the Leeds town of Morley, Beverely, she made her acting debut on the stage before making her debut with Yorkshire’s own soap - Emmerdale - in 1983. She played Angie Richards on the programme and appeared in 13 episodes.
Before becoming as a mainstay as Liz McDonald from the late 1980s, Bev made a brief appearance as June Dewhurst on the cobblestone streets of Weatherfield. She played the character for three episodes in 1984.
However, Bev’s time on Coronation Street began in earnest in 1989 as she started her first stint as the iconic Liz McDonald. She went on to appear in over 2,000 episodes - before leaving the show once and for all in 2020.
Bev returned to the world of soaps with the long-running Irish show Fair City in February 2026. She filmed her first episodes in January and her debut was broadcast on February 19.
Talking about her diagnosis on RTE’s Late Late Show in February, she said: “I’ve had some tests just before I left the UK, and literally, 15, 20 minutes before I was in my dressing room at Fair City, getting ready to go on, and I was quite nervous and thinking, ‘I hope everybody thinks I’m all right’, whatever.
“And my consultant rang me and said, ‘you’ve got to come back to the UK’. I said, ‘Well, I can’t possibly, I’ve just taken a new job’. I said ‘I’m away for a month’, and I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“But I’m fine, I’m absolutely fine. My head was a bit mashed for the first few days. It’s very early stages, and I’m along with thousands of other women as well.
She continued: “It’s early stages, I travel back to the UK tomorrow, just for a couple of weeks, they’re going to test lymph nodes and lymph glands and all that.
“But then I need an operation and some radiotherapy, and then I’m coming back to Fair City, so I will be back in just a few weeks.”
During her appearance on the talk show, Bev revealed plans for her and her husband to move to Co Wicklow in Ireland, adding “we truly love it so much. It’s blowing us away”.