Former Hollyoaks actress and singer Abi Phillips has been diagnosed with cancer at just 28 years old.
The star, who played Liberty Savage on the Channel 4 soap, shared the health update on her Instagram page alongside a series of photos taken in hospital.
Abi told her followers that she was initially ‘sent away’ by her GP who believed the lumps in her neck were caused by a cold.
But she persisted and went to see a specialist, who referred her for a biopsy and scans – and led to a thyroid cancer diagnosis.
Abi Phillips shared her cancer diagnosis on Instagram. Credit: Instagram @abiphillipsuk
She wrote that she only knew to push for further testing after following Love Island star Demi Jones, who was recently given the all-clear for thyroid cancer.
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Abi said that she ‘never thought I would be told that I have cancer at the age of 28’ and urged people to push for tests if they notice anything unusual about their bodies.
She added that she’s due to have surgery next week and will soon be ‘on the road to recovery’.
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Her full post stated: “So, I took these pictures before my scans and after my biopsy having a good old laugh about how ridiculously dressed up I looked in the hospital before a gig, not expecting for one moment to get the news that I did two weeks later…
Abi on The Voice. Credit: ITV
“I’d previously been sent away from the doctors after having found two lumps in my neck, they’d passed it off and said I was ‘young’ and it wouldn’t be anything and I was ‘probably getting over a cold’ or my body was ‘fighting something off’.
“As much as that’s what I wanted to hear I wanted to get everything checked for my own peace of mind. I booked in with a specialist and immediately she told me she was very concerned due to where my lumps were located and referred me for an urgent biopsy and scans.
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“Fast forward two weeks and just before Easter weekend I had an appointment to see a consultant at the QE hospital who sat me down and told me that I had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and that I would need surgery and radiotherapy treatment.
“I never thought I would be told that I have cancer at the age of 28, you never think it’s going to happen to you. I wouldn’t have taken things further with seeing a specialist if I hadn’t seen @demijones1 post as her lumps were in the exact same place as mine.
“If ever you find a lump or something unusual on your body, never just think it’s nothing, don’t be told that you’re fine by the GP and you’re ‘young’, always get things checked out by a specialist if you can and insist on tests even if it turns out to be nothing, as catching things early is crucial for a good prognosis.
“This time next week I’ll be on the road to recovery after my operation.”
Featured image: Instagram, @abiphillipsuk
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Chris Brown tour WILL go ahead after singer released on £5m bail
Daisy Jackson
Chris Brown’s tour looks set to go ahead after the R&B star was released on bail today.
The singer is set to play four nights at the Co-op Live in Manchester as part of his Breezy Bowl XX tour.
But the tour was thrown into doubt when Chris Brown was arrested at the luxury The Lowry hotel just weeks before his first live dates.
He was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm on Thursday 15 May and remanded into custody.
Today, it’s been announced that the ‘Forever’ star will be freed from prison in time for his world tour – but he must pay a £5 million security fee to the court.
The 36-year-old will be able to continue with his tour as part of his bail conditions, Judge Tony Baumgartner told the court.
He’s currently facing a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, relating to a bottle attack at a London nightclub two years ago against music producer Abe Diaw at Tape nightclub.
Abe Diaw has alleged that Brown ‘smashed him over the head with a bottle’ in the attack on him, at around 3am at Tape nightclub.
Chris Brown has 10 UK tour dates in the pipeline as part of his ‘Breezy Bowl XX tour’, which includes four at the Co-op Live on 15, 16, 24 June, and 3 July 2025.
A club night where you can’t get in without a hat is making its way to Manchester
Thomas Melia
There’s a club night happening in Manchester where you won’t be let in unless you wear a hat, and they really mean it, too.
Anyone wanting to go to this club night better get their thinking caps on as well as a physical hat too, because you’re actually not allowed into the venue without one of these fashion accessories on.
Club rules change over time and typically include your usual “No trackies, no joggers”, but instead of permitting you from the clothes you can wear, this club night wants you to bring an item with you: a hat.
They say home is wherever you lay your hat, turns out the party is too.
You could have your own bucket hat moment at this Manchester club night.Everyone has a cowboy hat hanging around somewhere… right?Credit: The Manc Group
Boldly-named club night ‘Don’t F**k with Disco’ is coming to Manchester and has one very simple rule “No hat, no entry”, so if you’ve bought your ticket you better get trying on some headpieces, stat.
One headwear item that never seems to go out of style is the cowboy hat, partly thanks to flurries of fans sporting these at Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour, Chappell Roan’s ‘Pink Pony Club’ phenomenon, the resurgent country music scene and so on.
Or why not box off two outfits at once by getting yourself a bucket hat, which has you covered for this hat-wearing night out and Oasis’ gigs, if you managed to get your hands on those pesky tickets.
There’s an endless list of headwear you could sport to this hat-wearing club night, and we’re sure anyone thinking of attending will see some bold and beautiful bonnets.
The venue hosting ‘Don’t F**k with Disco Manchester’ is Un:Titled Studio in Salford which is trading in its photography studio title for one night and transforming itself into a clubbing hotspot.
A Manchester club night all about hats? This Guinness one seems very fitting. Why have one bucket hat when you can have two?
This photography studio can host up to 700 guests in its largest room, titled ‘Studio 1’, with two other smaller indoor rooms and a larger outdoor space which boasts an impressive 750 capacity, wow.
This hat-wearing club night frenzy is coming to Un:Titled Studio on Saturday, 24 May from 10pm all the way through to 4am, so you can top your night off by dancing until the early hours.
Anyone looking to attend ‘Don’t F**k with Disco Manchester’ can find tickets HERE, just remember the golden rule… “No hat, no entry”.
See you on the dancefloor – we’re thinking something like a rhinestone Stetson…
Daisy Jackson -
10th May 2022 
