Alex Kingston is opening up about her battle with cancer and the terrifying medical incident she experienced while on stage.
The “ER” and “Doctor Who” star, 62, revealed in an interview with The Independent published Oct. 10 that she completed treatment for womb cancer last year.
“I had a major operation,” she told the British news outlet. “I had to have a hysterectomy, I had to go into radiation therapy, and that took up a huge part of my life.”
Kingston said her early symptoms included blood in her urine, and she shared that she also suffered a hemorrhage while performing in a play last summer.
“That was really shocking,” she told The Independent, adding that she “ran off stage and said, ‘Grab me some pads!’ We shoved some pads in my pants and I went back on stage and carried on. That was how we finished the show.”
The “A Discovery of Witches” actress was ultimately diagnosed with cancer, which was in her fallopian tubes but had luckily not yet spread to her ovaries.
Kingston noted she initially dismissed her symptoms as “what it’s like to be in my 60s” but “suddenly felt like myself again” after going through treatment, so she urged women not to ignore potential warning signs.
“What I would say is, the body does know – and that was the body saying to me, ‘Help! There’s something really wrong.’ It’s so important to seek advice and have a checkup,” she said.
According to the National Health Service, womb cancer is most common in women who have been through menopause. It is “usually treatable when it’s found early,” and treatment typically includes surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, the NHS notes.
Kingston is best known for her roles as Dr. Elizabeth Corday on the medical drama “ER” and River Song on the British sci-fi series “Doctor Who.” She is currently starring on the dancing competition series “Strictly Come Dancing.”