Ex-EastEnders co-star supports suffering pal
FRIEND Ex co-star Sid Owen BY HALINA WATTS SID Owen says he is praying for his former EastEnders co-star Danniella Westbrook as she fights cancer.
He contacted the actress to pledge his support after she revealed she has been diagnosed with womb cancer.
The pair worked closely on the BBC1 soap and their characters Ricky Butcher and Sam Mitchell wed in 1991.
Sid, 46, said of her health bombshell: “I’m gobsmacked. Wish her well. She’s a strong girl and had to battle worse. My prayers are out for her and her family.”
Mum-of-two Danniella, 44, revealed on Sunday that she faces a hysterectomy and a nerve-racking wait to see if the cancer has spread.
Her fears are heightened by the death of her friend, reality star Jade Goody, from cervical cancer in 2009. Jade’s wellpublicised illness and death led to a rise in young women requesting screening.
Now Danniella says she is speaking out about her experience to encourage women to undergo smear tests.
Danniella, who lives in San Pedro, Spain, had not had a smear test for many years, meaning an opportunity may have been missed to detect her cancer sooner.
She said: “When the doctor told me the news, all I could think about was my friend Jade Goody and that I don’t want to die like her.
“There is part of me that thinks I would rather just be ill and not know about it – to just get on with life.
“But then I thought about the kids. I know I have to fight.”
Her mum was diagnosed with the same condition when Danniella was 15 but was successfully treated. Danniella has a son, Kai, 21, and a girl Jodie, 16.