Sally Dynevor has revealed she's looking forward to the future after experiencing "tough times" this year following her husband Tim's battle with cancer.
The Coronation Street star, who has been a patron for Prevent Breast Cancer for over twenty years, is supporting the charity as it takes part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge and spoke about how the disease has impacted her family.
In an interview with HELLO!, the 61-year-old revealed that she's feeling good about 2025 after her husband of 30 years Tim, a screenwriter, overcame cancer. "Next year is going to be so exciting – I have a really good feeling about 2025," said the soap star, who is a mum to Bridgerton actress Phoebe Dynevor, 29, as well as Waterloo Road star Harriet, 21, and son Samuel, 27.
"2024 has had some tough times – my husband Tim has had his own battle with cancer, but he's come through it and we're looking forward to the future," revealed Sally, adding: "There's a lot to celebrate in the Dynevor household, and we like any excuse for a party!"
Sally herself was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 at the same time that her on-screen character, Sally Metcalfe, was battling the disease. Reflecting on the life-changing moment she received the news, she told us: "It's a wake-up call and it changes your life forever. You have to face your own mortality and at that time I was a mum to three young children, so you can imagine how frightening that was.
"My husband Tim has had his own battle with cancer, but he's come through it."
"When you start a cancer journey, you have to take everyone with you even though you'd give anything to shield them from it. I wanted to protect my children's innocence; I didn't want to cause them any hurt or worry," continued the TV star, who underwent a lumpectomy and six months of chemotherapy before making a full recovery.
"But cancer affects everyone – my children had to see their mum poorly, and my husband Tim had to carry us all through such an incredibly frightening time. It was hard for us all, but we got through it," she added.
Opening up about her connection to Prevent Breast Cancer, which funds research into breast cancer prediction and prevention, Sally said she's "so passionate" about the charity's "vision for a breast cancer-free future". "The charity has a really clear mission - to make breast cancer a preventable disease for future generations by funding vital research into its prediction, prevention, and early detection, so that no one has to go through it in the first place," she explained.
The actress went on to say that the charity "means so much" to her. "It was important to me before I had breast cancer myself, but now that I'm a cancer survivor it's even more so," she said.
Being a mum of two daughters has made Sally even more passionate about raising awareness. "I don't want the next generation to go through what mine did," she said. "There's such a lot of incredible research being done; it gives me hope that when my children reach my age, the word 'cancer' won't be as scary as it once was."
The Big Give's Christmas Challenge, the UK's largest-ever match funding campaign, runs from 3 December to 10 December and aims to raise tens of millions of pounds for 1,250 charities by doubling public donations through match funding from Big Give's Champion partners.
James Reed, Chair of the Trustees of Big Give, said: "With a record level of match funds provided by our Champion partners, we're calling on the amazingly generous British public to help make this our most impactful campaign yet. When people give to us they are not giving to Big Give, they are giving through Big Give to charitable causes they really care about, and this year there are 1,250 charities that stand to benefit. Every donation will be doubled so you can double the difference you make."
The Christmas Challenge runs until 12 noon on the 10th of December 2024. To double your donation and make double the difference this Christmas, visit: donate.biggive.org/christmas-challenge-2024.