Rosario Monachino
Samantha Womack has announced that she has been battling breast cancer.
In a tribute to Olivia Newton-John, who tragically died aged 73 yesterday (August 8) from the same disease, the EastEnders legend explained how she has been diagnosed with the illness.
Posted to her Twitter page, the actress wrote: “I now start my own battle with this disease and am left feeling deeply moved.”
Watch Australians mourn the death of Olivia Newton-John below…
In the same post, Womack revealed that she met Newton-John after the ‘Physical’ singer watched her in a production of Grease in London, where she played the role of Sandy.
The actress added: “This was the most magical of evenings. Olivia and Chloe had come to see Grease in London and we had dinner together afterwards. I was so excited and in awe, she was my childhood.”
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Fans on social media replied with messages of support, with one person commenting: “My thoughts are with you. Thank you for sharing what you are going through. Wishing you a speedy recovery.”
Another user commented: “I saw you in Grease, you were fabulous as I’m sure the wonderful Dame Olivia agreed. So sorry to hear you are battling it too, wishing you a full and speedy recovery.”
Finally, one fan posted: “Sending so much love and best wishes to you!!! You are strong and will beat this.”
According to The Mirror, Womack shared her secret battle with cancer after Newton-John’s death due to how vocal the Grease star was in raising awareness against the illness.
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The Australian actress was first diagnosed with it in 1992 and then battled the disease three more times over the next 30 years.
Womack is best known for her role as Ronnie Mitchell in the iconic British soap, where she played the character from 2007 to 2017.
She also represented the UK at Eurovision in 1991 where she came in 10th place.
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