Early symptoms of breast cancer as TV star Lisa Faulkner undergoes surgery

The EastEnders and Holby City actress, 54 said ‘I’ve still got quite a bit of healing to do’

John Torode’s wife, actress Lisa Faulkner, has said she had to have surgery because she was diagnosed with the early stages of breast cancer. The EastEnders and Holby City actress, 54, revealed on Tuesday that she underwent the procedure two weeks ago and she has since had the all clear from her doctors.

She said she still needs to undergo radiotherapy, however, reassured her 372,000 followers on Instagram that she is feeling better. Faulkner said: “I’ve had to have surgery because I’ve had the very early stages of breast cancer

“I had surgery two weeks ago, and it was quite a big op, but it’s all good, and I’ve had my results back, and they’ve got everything out, and so it’s all clear, and I just need now to have some radiotherapy in a few weeks.

“I’ve still got quite a bit of healing to do, but I’m good, I’m well, and feeling so much better.” The actress and TV presenter sis encouraging people to educate themselves for the signs of the potentially lethal disease.

She urged others to go for check-ups adding that if she did not go for her breast screening, the cancer would not have been picked up.

“I am so grateful that I went for my mammogram,” she said. “Don’t put them off, go, because they found this and without that mammogram it wouldn’t have been picked up.”

Faulkner

the “wonderful NHS” for the scan and early treatment. The actress has four children and married the former MasterChef presenter in 2019.

The news comes nearly a year after Torode was sacked from the cooking competition show after an allegation that he used “highly offensive racist language” was upheld in a review looking into his former co-presenter Greg Wallace, who was also fired due to alleged misconduct.

Breast Cancer Org lists the following early symptoms:

In general, any of the following can be an early symptom of breast cancer:

• swelling of all or part of the breast
• the breast feeling tender, warm, or hard
• skin irritation or dimpling
• breast pain
• nipple pain
• an inverted nipple (the nipple turning inward)
• redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin
• a nipple discharge other than breast milk
• a lump in the underarm area

The number of cases of breast cancer in women under 50 has risen by 5% in one year, according to new analysis. It comes as the charity CoppaFeel! claimed younger people with symptoms of the disease are “routinely dismissed” by health professionals.

It is now calling for a seven-minute risk assessment, which looks at factors such as family history, to be adopted, in a bid to spot those who need earlier or more frequent breast screening. The NHS invites women for a mammogram – an x-ray of the breast – from the age of 50 until their 71st birthday.

However, analysis by CoppaFeel!, which was founded by twin sisters Kris and Maren Hallenga after Kris was diagnosed with breast cancer at 23, suggests rates of the disease are rising in younger people.

According to its new report, one in six people diagnosed with breast cancer are aged 49 and under. Diagnoses in people under 30 jumped by 78% from 2001 to 2019 and from 2022 to 2023, breast cancer rates increased by 5% among 25 to 49 year olds.

The charity said patients diagnosed with breast cancer under 50 are almost twice as likely to have late-stage cancer compared with someone in their 60s, while under 25s are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with late-stage disease.

Sophie Dopierala-Bull, director of services and engagement, CoppaFeel!, said: “Early diagnosis depends too heavily on whether young people know their bodies, whether they feel confident seeking help, whether they can access healthcare, and whether they are taken seriously when they get there.

“Awareness matters – CoppaFeel! has spent more than 15 years helping young people know their bodies and feel confident seeking help.

“But awareness alone cannot carry the weight of a system that was not built with young people in mind.”

The NHS says the symptoms of breast cancer include a lump or swelling in the breast, a change in breast skin, a change in size or shape of breasts or nipples, or a pain in the breast or armpit which does not go away.

See a GP if:

• you have a lump or swelling in your breast, chest or armpit
• you have any changes in your breasts or nipples that are not normal for you
• you have pain in your breast or armpit, and there are other people in your family who’ve had breast cancer or ovarian cancer

Symptoms of secondary breast cancer

If breast cancer spreads to other parts of the body it’s called secondary breast cancer.

The symptoms depend on which part of the body the cancer has spread to. It can spread anywhere, but it most commonly affects the bones, liver, lungs or brain.

You may also have general symptoms including:

• feeling tired or having no energy
• loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to
• feeling unwell with no clear cause
• feeling or being sick
• difficulty sleeping

For more information from the NHS click here.