04 March 2024 , 20:00
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Emmerdale's beloved character, Chas Dingle, played by Lucy Pargeter for 22 years, is facing a tough decision next week. She has to decide whether to have a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer.
Her friend and lover, Dr Liam Cavanagh, first spotted a lump on her right breast in January and urged her to get it checked. Chas has always been aware of the risk of this disease as her mum, Faith, passed away from breast cancer last year. The family never found out if she carried a faulty BRCA gene.
In a gripping storyline, Chas had genetic testing which confirmed she had inherited one. While some patients with triple-negative breast cancer choose chemotherapy and immunotherapy, Chas is advised that a mastectomy would be best due to her altered BRCA2 gene.
In emotional scenes airing next week, the Emmerdale favourite decides to take the safest route and have a double mastectomy. Lucy, 46, and the soap's bosses hope this plot, created with the help of charity Breast Cancer Now, will raise awareness about a cancer that affects 55,000 women and 400 men every year.
'I felt a huge responsibility,' says Lucy"You would never ever want to wish this diagnosis on anybody,"to wish this diagnosis on anybody," says Lucy. "But this is a chance for us as a soap to help raise awareness about breast cancer and help people who are going through it. ""Chas is a very pragmatic and practical person and when she is told she is a carrier of an altered BRCA2 gene, she knows there is a risk of developing other breast cancers in the future.
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She thinks, 'OK if there is a chance, then let's take the option of a double mastectomy as a solution'. She wants to try and fix it and doesn't think about what emotional after-effects she will feel. For Chas, getting rid of the problem is what she wants to focus on now."
Lucy says her first reaction on hearing Chas would have stage-one breast cancer was a determination to portray her nightmare as accurately as she could. "It is always daunting when someone trusts you with a storyline like this," she confides. "I did feel a huge responsibility and all I hoped was that"I could do it well. I have found myself welling up filming the scenes. The writers have done a tremendous amount of research on the subject which they have shared with me."
Lucy Pargeter (Getty Images for BAFTA)Lucy also talked to other people she knew personally who have had breast cancer. "I didn't talk to them about their personal experiences as I would never want to mimic someone else's story, but I wanted to know how they felt after they had had surgery."
Lucy is working hard to get every detail right as she acts out a tough story on TV. She talks about how important it is to show what it's really like after big surgery, like having a tube to stop fluid from building up.
"I've wanted to get as many practical tips as possible," she says. "So for instance, Chas won't be able to lift her arms normally for two to three weeks following surgery, so I have asked if we can have a scene where one of the members of her family puts her hair up for her. I've also had meetings with makeup too.
""I am portraying real life and not many women have makeup on when they have just had surgery as they don't care what they look like, so I won't be wearing any either. ""It's about getting the finer details right and making sure I give as true a reflection as I possibly can."
Since Chas got sick in January, Lucy says lots of people have sent kind words. "Chas is a character who people have watched for years and it's been nice to receive messages from people getting in touch on X (Twitter), who have said that when watching the storyline they felt the same as she did when they were diagnosed. ""It's important that people don't feel alone."
Lucy always checks herself for any signs of breast problems, but this story has made her think even more about how important it is to do that. She has spoken out about her own experience with breast implants, revealing that she had surgery to remove them in 2019 after suffering painful side effects for 11 years.
Chas explains the cancer to Eve"Obviously there is absolutely no comparison whatsoever with someone who has to have a mastectomy," says Lucy. "I do check my breasts regularly and I feel so much better now I have had my implants removed. While I don't regret having them, I did not realise how much they would affect me in a physical way. I had constant itchiness on my chest and underneath my arms, pain in my groin and hips, anxiety, and brain fog.
"It was only after I talked to people who were going through similar things that I realised it was my implants causing these symptoms and I had surgery to remove them. I am so glad I did."
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Lucy, a single mum to three daughters, says she tries to eat healthily and exercise whenever she has any spare time. "I do have a good balance when it comes to being healthy," she says. "And I am lucky I love my job. I've had a lot of tough storylines playing Chas over the past 22 years and I am so proud to be part of this one. There is so much more awareness now about breast cancer with other TV shows too like Lorraine, but this is another timely reminder for men, as well as women, that they should check themselves regularly."
- If you have been affected by the Chas breast cancer storyline, you can find more information at breastcancernow.org