News
Hollyoaks star Abi Phillips reveals cancer diagnosis at 28 years old
Daisy Jackson -
10th May 2022 
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.
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.
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’.
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…
“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.
“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.
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“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
