Jennifer Saunders, who will appear on The Masked Singer Christmas special tonight (Thursday, December 26), once opened up about the low point of her cancer battle.
The actor and comedian, 66, was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2009.
The Masked Singer Christmas special star Jennifer Saunders kept cancer battle secret
In 2009, Jennifer Saunders was diagnosed with cancer and underwent a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.
In her 2013 book Bonkers: My Life in Laughs, she opened up about her cancer battle. The star had kept her diagnosis and treatment a secret, only announcing it after being given the all-clear in July 2010.
In her book, Jennifer opened up about how she relied on her friends, family, and humour during her treatment.
“There are times when you want to cry all day. My lowest point came when I lost all my hair; every eyelash, every follicle… I felt chemical. I felt like a chemical,” the star wrote.
“Then I got a terrible rash all over my face. They think it was a reaction to the Herceptin. It was horrible. I felt like a great big overgrown baby with pimples all over my face. A big, horrible, red-faced baby,” she then continued.
“You just grit your teeth and bear it. It becomes your job and your job is now getting through this next year of whatever,” she then added.
She suffered terrible side effects
The star then went on to say that she actually got “addicted” to her chair in the hospital, as well as her nurse.
She added that she does sort of “miss” him and that he was a “joy” to be around.
The star also spoke about Tamoxifen and how it gave her some adverse side effects. She described it as “suddenly becoming older” due to how fatigued she became.
She explained that it was so bad that she wasn’t starting her day until 11.30am, even though she’d been awake before then.
Elsewhere, in an interview with The Belfast Telegraph in 2013, Jennifer spoke about how some people wear cancer as a “badge”.
When asked whether this was the case, she said: “For ever – and I’ll give you why. Because it is the job you don’t have to work for. You suddenly get so much attention, and if you’re not used to that, I bet it can sway you a little bit.
“I’m used to it. My job gives me the attention I would otherwise crave. They must be so p***ed off when their hair grows back,” she then added.
Jennifer was ‘told off’ for telling people she had the ‘all-clear’
In 2014, Jennifer wrote an article for The Telegraph about her cancer battle.
“The first time you have chemo is a bit scary, because you have no idea how you’re going to feel. But let me tell you this: it’s basically like the most enormous hangover you’ve ever had in your whole life; it’s like a night on mixed spirits, wine and grappa. It’s a real cracker. It’s a humdinger,” she said.
“From one day to the next, you never really know how you’re going to feel: some days you can go for a long walk, the next you get breathless after a few steps. Sometimes you stay in bed; sometimes you just have to get up. It is the most frustrating thing,” she then continued.
She also revealed that she got “told off” for saying she was “all-clear”.
“Surprisingly, I got lots of correspondence from people telling me it was a reckless statement and that cancer is never gone. That I was only in remission and it could come back at any time. I was being told off for being positive! But as far as I was concerned, it was gone and the chances of it coming back were — and are — really small. You move on,” she then said.
Jennifer is on The Masked Singer Christmas Special, which airs tonight (Boxing Day) at 7.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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