TV star Ali Bastian gives 'raw' update on her breast cancer battle as she asks her fans for donations

The 42-year-old actress announced back in September that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer after finding a lump while feeling her baby and will undergo a mastectomy.

Bastian, who is best known for playing Becca Dean in the Channel 4 soap, was told that she had stage two breast cancer in June and has been undergoing chemotherapy ever since. The actress posted a photo of herself in a wood on her Instagram Stories and gave some more information on her cancer battle.

She explained that she is about to undergo surgery to remove her breast in the coming weeks and, and then asked fans to donate money to go to lifesaving cancer research on her behalf via the website Buy Me A Coffee.

She wrote in the post: "So I had my last chemo on Friday! Def more to say about this part of the ride, but I'm just recovering now and getting my strength up for surgery in a few weeks."

She added: "A lovely follower recommended I put one of these links up, as I think sometimes people would like to help but are unsure how. I have sat with it for a few weeks as I wasn't sure how I felt. But here it is! Any coffee is greatly and warmly received. I know times are hard and strange, so please, no pressure AT ALL!" She concluded: "Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your support and kindness."

Mum-of-two Bastian found the lump shortly after breastfeeding her 19-month-old daughter Isabella in June. The actress, who has been married to fellow actor husband David O' Mahoney since 2019, told OK! Magazine: “I hadn’t been breastfeeding Izzy at night but then David flew back to London for work and suddenly she was feeding like crazy. I was thinking, ‘maybe she’s having a growth spurt or something.’ And because of that, my boobs felt sore. The next morning I woke up and thought, ‘ouch, this really hurts.’ And that’s when I felt a lump.

Bastian, who lives in Ireland with her family, went straight to an emergency doctor. She explained: “It really seemed like I had mastitis, especially as I had been night-weaning Izzy before that. We thought I probably had a blocked duct. The doctor gave me antibiotics and said that if it didn’t clear up in a few days I should go to the breast clinic.

Bastian, who also has a daughter, Isla, four, with 42-year-old O’Mahoney, was told a few days later that she has cancer. Bastian, who became a household name through Hollyoaks but left the show in 2017, is optimistic about the future and is looking forward to returning to acting when her treatment is finished.

In October, she shared a “raw and honest” account of her breast cancer journey as she recorded herself shaving off her hair as her treatment continued.

After her chemotherapy, Bastian will next have a single mastectomy followed by chemotherapy. She hopes that sharing her journey and the appeal will help to raise awareness of the symptoms for more women like her. She wrote on her page: “ When I went public about my situation I wanted to share in a way that is raw, real and truthful and would hopefully help other people in my situation feel less alone. Thank you for your support.” If you would like to donate, visit Ali Bastian’s Buy Me a Coffee page.