Celebrity Health – Samantha Womack
Actress Samantha Womack talks to Your Healthy Living about how she is looking to the future after a challenging year
Image of Samantha Womack: Michelle George
Actress Samantha Womack is perhaps best known for playing the role of Ronnie Mitchell in EastEnders and for portraying the character of Tanya Porter in the Sky One TV show Mount Pleasant. She is currently appearing in the musical 42nd Street. In August 2022, Samantha announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She has since revealed that she is now in recovery. During an interview with OK magazine she said: “I’ll be doing everything I can with nutrition. I’ll be changing my diet, the way that I live, the amount of stress that I have. I’m absolutely going to make sure that I do everything I can to be as healthy as possible and to just look after my body.” She added that she plans to open a retreat close to her home in Valencia, Spain, where people with cancer can benefit from rest and recuperation.
Q How is your health now?
Samantha: At the moment I’m okay, but also I am a realist and know that statistically my chances of recurrence are higher than someone that hasn’t had cancer before. It changes your perspective, and it’s changed my outlook on certain things. That’s the gift that an illness can give you sometimes. It’s like the sunglasses are taken off and you suddenly get to see things really vividly. I don’t have any more tumours at the moment – I’m clear in that respect – but I’m still incredibly cautious about getting my check-ups every year. But also trying not to spend my life waiting to see if it’s around the corner.
Q Has this experience prompted you to make any changes to your lifestyle?
Samantha: Reflection and nature have become incredibly important to me now. A bit like the kind of vibe we had in the pandemic. Although it was a horrible, deadly virus, we all learnt things about ourselves with that space and time. It’s almost like I really needed that to deal with this diagnosis. I couldn’t process it by running around, going to work, going to wherever. I really needed nature.
Q How has your health been in the past?
Samantha: I’ve always been physically very strong, luckily. I’ve never had to suffer any other illnesses. My immune system is always really strong, so I think that made me lazy when it came to checking other things. It’s almost like now I’ve fallen in love with my body a bit more than I was before – I don’t take it for granted as much as I did.
Q What are your hopes for the future?
Samantha: I don’t want other women to go through the pain I experienced, and it is my mission to use my knowledge to help others battle breast cancer. That’s why I’m backing and working with Digistain, a revolutionary new AI cancer diagnostic technology which can help save lives and money. It looks very specifically at your individual cancer and then it tells you what your risk factor is or whether you need the treatment or not.
Digistain will deliver results the same day, at a fraction of the cost. I want to encourage hospitals around the world and organisations like the NHS to make Digistain available to all women.
Q Has your experience with cancer changed your attitude to your work?
Samantha: It’s made me more reflective and kind of spiritual. So actually, I’m looking at a lot of European film and a lot of documentaries. I’m more fascinated by messaging. I’m less about the sensational and more about responsible messaging, I suppose. If it was a perfect world and I had the choice, I’d be doing stuff like that. But you’ll probably see me doing a panto next year and that gets thrown out of the water!
Q Tell us about the musical 42nd Street, which you are currently touring with.
Samantha: It was my grandma’s favourite show, bless her. She was a choreographer and she always said, ‘Why can’t you get into a proper show like 42nd Street?’ So I’m like, ‘Well, I’m in a proper show now!’ So, yes, I’m doing that. I would love to be able to say that I can pick and choose!
Q What would be your one piece of advice to women after your experiences?
Samantha: Please check yourselves – young people too. It’s so important. Please, please. It happens to young people too!
For more information on Digistain, visit digistain.co.uk
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