Former Hollyoaks star Ali Bastian has revealed her hopes of returning to work after announcing that she is cancer free.
The actress, who portrayed Becca Dean on the Channel 4 soap, shared her breast cancer diagnosis in September last year.
The 43-year-old discovered the lump while breastfeeding daughter Isabella.
At first, doctors thought the lump to be a blocked duct but, following a round of antibiotics, she had further tests done at a specialist clinic, which ultimately confirmed the presence of cancerous cells.
Ali documented her cancer battle on social media, sharing updates with her followers. In December, she rang the bell after five months of treatment and, earlier this month, she revealed that she is cancer-free.
‘I wanted to update you all,’ the former Doctors star wrote on Instagram at the time. ‘I’m on to my final week of radio therapy which should mark the end my active treatment – I hope and pray for good!
‘I had my mastectomy in January which was thankfully a success and has healed really well, it proved that my chemo had worked.
‘As I sit here right now, I’m free from Cancer. I can’t even believe it.’
Ali has now spoken about the future, revealing that she’d love to do some acting work again – particularly in Ireland, where she resides with her husband David O’Mahoney.
‘Honestly, I can’t wait to set foot on a set again,’ she told RTE Guide. ‘That’s my happy place. I’d love to explore the possibility of working more in Ireland because it would be an absolute joy.
‘There’s so many exciting things going on here – independent films and lots of creativity and people doing really good work.’
Ali rose to fame on Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, playing Becca Dean, who featured in several huge storylines, including an inappropriate relationship with student Justin Burton.
‘I think the fantastic thing – and remains to be the fantastic thing – about Hollyoaks is that I think they go for it with storylines, and break new ground,’ she told Metro.co.uk when Hollyoaks re-aired select episodes from the storyline in question during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ali also starred in Doctors as Becky Clarke and played Sally Armstrong in The Bill.
