Lisa Faulkner, the actress and Celebrity Masterchef winner, has revealed she is recovering after undergoing surgery for breast cancer two weeks ago — and that her results are “all clear”.
In a video posted to Instagram on Thursday, the 54-year-old told followers she had been diagnosed in “the very early stages of breast cancer” and had a “quite a big op”. But the news was good: “They’ve got everything out, so it’s all clear and I just need some radiotherapy in a few weeks.”
“Lisa Faulkner reveals she is 'all clear' after breast cancer surgery and urges women to attend mammograms.”
Faulkner, known for roles in EastEnders, Holby City and Spooks, said she still had “quite a bit of healing to do. But I’m good, I’m well. And feeling so much better.”
She used the update to deliver a stark warning: “I’m so grateful that I went for my mammogram. Don’t put them off, go, because they found this — without this mammogram, it wouldn’t have been picked up.”
Faulkner also thanked “our wonderful NHS and the fact that we can have these mammograms, and we can get treatment early.”
Among the flood of messages was one from former EastEnders star Tamzin Outhwaite, who wrote: “Love you Lise. You’ve got this my darling.”
The diagnosis came in a year when Faulkner had returned to the stage for the first time in more than two decades, starring in a touring adaptation of the 1992 film Single White Female. Earlier this year she told HELLO! magazine that she felt lucky to reach her 50s, especially because her mother, Julie, had died of throat cancer aged just 44.
“Life’s short. My mum died when she was 44 and didn’t get to have that second act. So I grab it,” Faulkner said.
Faulkner is married to chef John Torode, with whom she hosted ITV’s John & Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen. Torode was sacked from the BBC’s Masterchef last year after an allegation against him using “an extremely offensive racist term” was upheld. He said he had “no recollection” of the incident.