Emmerdale’s Malandra Burrows addresses 'heartbreak' over 'shock' breast cancer diagnosis

express.co.uk:

Emmerdale actress Malandra Burrows, 56, who played Kathy Glover in the soap, has been left “heartbroken” by her stage three breast cancer diagnosis.She was told the devastating news in February after finding a lump a month earlier.After being checked by her GP, a follow-up scan and ultrasound confirmed that her cancer had progressed to stage three, and she had to have surgery to get it removed.Malandra will now undergo a gruelling course of chemotherapy for six months, but won’t be given a prognosis until the course is complete.She now wants to raise awareness to encourage other women to get checked.She told OK!: "Since my diagnosis I tell all ladies to please go and get a mammogram.“When I’ve told people they’ve said, ‘You’re fit and healthy, you can’t have cancer?’ and that was the big shock for me because I didn’t feel poorly.”Malandra also revealed that her tumour was initially mistaken for a cyst.Despite the heartbreaking news, the actress says she is feeling positive and has “never cried about it”.She vows to “do everything she can” to fight her illness, and jokes that she might get some “new boobs out of it”.Doctors told the soap star that her breast cancer may have been caused by the menopause.Official NHS guidance states that women who have experienced the menopause are more at risk of getting cancer due to an increase of oestrogen in the body.Malandra played Kathy in the ITV soap for 16 years from 1985.Her biggest storylines included marriages to Jackie Merrick (Ian Sharrock), Chris Tate (Peter Amory) and Dave Glover (Ian Kelsey).Her character moved to Australia in 2001 and only returned for a brief appearance in 2005 for Seth Armstrong’s (Stan Richards) funeral.Malandra also had a successful music career in.