Former Emmerdale star Leah Bracknell has started a new experimental treatment to slow down the progress of her terminal cancer. The 54-year-old actress -urned-yoga teacher was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2016, and has bravely kept fans updated with her battle ever since. Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, the mother-of-two shared a photograph of an inflated blue latex glove with a happy face drawn on, she wrote: "A Spring Equinox rabbit-geez!!! ?( It's becoming a bit of a competition among the nurses on the trial!) aka an ice filled latex glove for pre jab numbing. Thank you C , this is one to beat!! Xx."
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Last month, Leah - who played Zoe Tate in Emmerdale between 1989 - 2005 - penned an emotional blog post about her determination to get her old life back. Titled Take Me Back to Normal, she wrote: "I am fed up. Actually that’s F.E.D. U.P. with a good half a dozen exclamation marks for emphasis. (!!!!!!!!)." She continued: "Living with stage four cancer is not black and white, we cannot always be the noble and exceptional patient nor are we always self-pitying and woe-is-me. Life on this path is far more nuanced see-sawing somewhere between the two; there are sunny days and there are days when dark clouds glower ominously and oppressively. To sum up, I am fed up of being fed up. And I’d like a break please."
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When Leah was first diagnosed after a hospital check-up related to her heart, she was told that she'd have just eight months to live. She has now exceeded doctors' expectations by over 21 months. Previously opening up about the diagnosis, she told Loose Women: "I don’t wake up every morning feeling fearful I wake up feeling grateful and excited about life."
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