Hollyoaks star Ali Bastian has rung a bell after five months of chemotherapy.
The actress, who portrayed Becca Dean on the Channel 4 soap, shared her breast cancer diagnosis in September.
Taking to Instagram, the 42-year-old shared an update, confirming that she is halfway through her latest cycle of treatment and thus marked the occasion by ringing a bell.
‘I got to ring (the tiny little bell I stole from my kid’s music box as they don’t do the [bell] thing here in Ireland) after five months of chemotherapy,’ she wrote on the social media platform.
‘I’m still halfway through this last cycle, so much still to process on every level. Chemo is major.
‘The oncology nursing team at the Dunmanway CUH are INCREDIBLE, I said to them as I left… it’s not that I never want to see them again because I love them all so much, I just hope the next time I do we all have a glass of Prosecco in our hands raising money and awareness for all their incredible work.
‘For anyone going through this, you think the end will never come and then through the fog… the goal posts appear. You are not alone. Thank you all so, so much. I read every kind word of support and it honestly gets me through xxxxxxx.’
Ali received supported from fans, friends and former colleagues, including Warren Fox star Jamie Lomas, who wrote: ‘You are AMAZING.’
Danny Mac, who is returning to Hollyoaks next year, commented with heart emojis.
Ali went public with her diagnosis two months ago, confirming that she discovered a lump while breastfeeding her baby.
Doctors at first believed 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.
‘It was a total shock,’ Ali told OK! Magazine.
‘I have mornings when I wake up and I’ve forgotten… and then suddenly I remember. I’m still trying to process it.’
The actress, who also appeared in Doctors, subsequently shared a photograph of herself wearing a wig, revealing that she shaved her head, writing that losing her hair was ‘a lot harder’ than she imagined.
‘Just felt a bit gutted,’ she said. ‘However, being an actor I’ve worn wigs lots and I’ve found wearing a wig sometimes really helps me feel more ‘normal.’
