Emmerdale star Oliver Farnworth shares heartfelt update on partner Samantha Womack’s cancer journey

Emmerdale star Oliver Farnworth gave a moving update on his partner and EastEnders actress Samantha Womack’s breast cancer experience during an appearance on Lorraine on Thursday.

The 51-year-old former soap star announced in December 2022 that she was no longer breast cancer-free, five months after her diagnosis.

She was receiving radiation therapy at the time ‘to destroy any remaining cells’ and was on ‘ongoing treatment’ as prevention.

Now her actor boyfriend Oliver, 41, has revealed she is doing “incredibly well” and is “in awe” of her “strength and determination”.

While chatting to Christine Lampard on ITV’s morning show, the soap star blew a kiss to his partner through the screen and said: “She’s doing incredibly well. I have to give her a big shout out and wish her lots of love.

The former soap star, 51, revealed she was no longer breast cancer-free in December 2022, five months after her diagnosis (the couple pictured above in 2019)

“She’s just been so strong and determined through it. I mean, I just thought, when she got her diagnosis she had no symptoms, it was a routine checkup and she just felt something, but she couldn’t physically feel anything.

“We were very lucky because they discovered a fairly serious form of cancer and were able to treat it quite quickly.”

He spoke candidly about her treatment: ‘But then she had the chemo and the radio, and they were her last radio sessions and she was determined to finish the programme she was on at the time – The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe.

‘And that coincided with our move to Spain. So she had radiotherapy, moved and did a West End show – and just handled it bravely and strongly, with such dignity and righteous determination. I was in awe of her.’

Oliver and Christine concluded the section by raising awareness of this condition for women and urging them to look out for any abnormalities in their breasts.

The TV presenter noted: ‘A tough time, but as you say, she was built to deal with it because she was very busy at the time.

‘That’s why it’s so important to continue to discuss our Change And Check campaign, which started here on this show a few years ago. I know Samantha will be very passionate about that.’

Oliver concluded the interview with a plea: “If you get a message for a routine mammogram or something like that — just go.”

Speaking to Christine Lampard on ITV’s morning show, the soap star blew a kiss to his partner through the screen and enthused: ‘She’s doing incredibly well’

Oliver said: ‘We were very lucky because they found quite a high grade of cancer and we were able to treat it quite quickly’

Oliver and Samantha started dating in 2019, the year after Samantha split from actor Mark Womack, 63, with whom she dated for 19 years and has two adult children.

In December 2022, Samantha spoke about her health OK! Magazine: ‘Now I am undergoing treatment while I am going back to work, as a preventative measure… We feel a lot better than before.

“My treatment for breast cancer is still ongoing. The surgery was quite difficult to recover from because it is quite sensitive when you have lymph nodes removed. There are some mobility issues in the beginning.”

She recalls: ‘The first round of chemotherapy was really tough, it was quite toxic,’ before adding: ‘I still have to have radiotherapy for a while to destroy any remaining cells.’

In November 2022, Samantha revealed that her breast cancer was discovered during a “random check-up” and said the disease had “attacked” her “femininity.”

Samantha told This Morning that she had not found a lump when she was diagnosed four months earlier. Her cancer was discovered at a random check-up, researchers said.

“It was really unbelievable because I didn’t find any lump and I didn’t feel unwell,” she explained.

‘There was a lot of illness amongst our friends and family and I thought I would just have a random check up and I had an ultrasound scan and there was a little shadow – at that point it could have been anything, a cyst… then I had further tests and that’s when that diagnosis came.’

Samantha and Oliver started dating in 2019, the year after Samantha split from fellow actor Mark Womack, 63, with whom she dated for 19 years and has two adult children

In November 2022, Samantha revealed that her breast cancer was discovered during a ‘random check’ and said the disease had ‘attacked’ her ‘femininity’

Samantha described herself as “very lucky” because the lump was less than 2cm and she was able to undergo breast-conserving surgery, which removed the piece of tissue and five lymph nodes.

She went on to describe breast cancer as a disease that “attacks” your “body” and your “femininity” and encouraged other women to get tested.

She said, ‘Breast cancer is a strange thing. It attacks your body and your femininity, your hair, your breasts, all these beautiful women of all ages.

‘So many women should get themselves checked in their thirties. That is an important message to also convey and get checked.’

She described the battle against cancer as “scary” but praised the treatments now available to treat the disease.

Breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the world, affecting more than two MILLION women each year.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. There are more than 55,000 new cases each year in the UK and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it affects 266,000 people a year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?

What is breast cancer?

It is caused by a cancer cell that develops in the lining of a mammary gland or breast gland in one of the breasts.

When breast cancer has spread to surrounding tissue, it is called invasive. Some people are diagnosed with carcinoma in situ, where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.

Most cases develop in people over the age of 50, but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, although this is rare.

Stage indicates how large the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.

The cancer cells are graded from low, meaning they grow slowly, to high, meaning they grow quickly. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they are treated first.

What causes breast cancer?

A cancerous tumor begins with a single abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or changes certain genes in the cell. This causes the cell to become abnormal and multiply ‘excessively’.

Although breast cancer can also develop for no apparent reason, there are a number of risk factors that can increase the chance of this happening, such as genetics.

What are the symptoms of breast cancer?

Usually, the first symptom is a painless lump in the breast. However, most lumps are not cancerous, but fluid-filled cysts, which are benign.

The first place breast cancer usually spreads is to the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this happens, you will get a swelling or lump in the armpit.

How is breast cancer diagnosed?

• Initial assessment: A doctor will examine your breasts and armpits. They may perform tests such as a mammogram, a special X-ray of your breast tissue that can indicate the possibility of tumors.
• Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small piece of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.

If you have breast cancer, you may need further tests to see if the cancer has spread. These may include blood tests, an ultrasound of the liver, or a chest x-ray.

How is breast cancer treated?

Treatment options that may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy. Often, a combination of two or more of these treatments is used.

• Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or removal of the affected breast, depending on the size of the tumor.
• Radiation therapy: A treatment that uses high-energy beams of radiation that are focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells or prevents them from multiplying. It is mainly used as an adjunct to surgery.
• Chemotherapy: A treatment for cancer using anticancer drugs that kill cancer cells or stop them from multiplying.
• Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the “female” hormone estrogen, which can stimulate cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments that lower the levels of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are often used in people with breast cancer.

How successful is the treatment?

The outlook is best for those who are diagnosed when the cancer is small and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumor at an early stage can offer a good chance of cure.

Thanks to routine mammograms that women between the ages of 50 and 70 receive, more and more breast cancers are being detected and treated at an early stage.

For more information, visit breastcancernow.org or call the toll-free helpline on 0808 800 6000