Eastenders actress Laila Morse became tearful on Monday night’s episode of Strictly The Full Monty as she thanked her co-star for saving her life.
Laila, who is better known for playing Mo Harris on the BBC soap, explained that by chance she’d happened to touch her breast during gardening one day.
She stumbled across a frightening lump and decided to confide in her on-screen friend Wendy Richard – who demanded that she see a doctor immediately.
Speaking to camera, Laila admitted that Wendy had “saved her life” but became upset that she couldn’t have paid her dear chum the same favour.
The star who played Pauline Fowler on Albert Square for 22-years died at the age of 65 after battling breast cancer three times in her lifetime.
The actress who became famous as Big Mo, said: “I’m going on this journey as I’ve had cancer myself.
“I first noticed something when I was doing a bit of gardening, my hands were wet and I rubbed them across my boobs and then I found this lump.”
She went on: “I told my best friend Wendy Richard who played Pauline Fowler in Eastenders and she told me to go to the doctors straight away.
“If it hadn’t of been for her I don’t think I would have done it.
“I mean, I was more frightened of losing my job but she marched me upstairs to the office and said ‘Mo’s got something to tell you.’
“They said: ‘What?’ and I said: ‘I’ve got cancer and I’ve got to go in hospital, I’m not going to loose my job am I?'”
Big Mo continued: “I did go to the doctors after she’d told me to and I did actually go in and have a lumpectomy so that’s how I know that I had cancer.
“If it wasn’t for Wendy then I don’t think I would have been here today.”
Laila became tearful as she began to explain that she couldn’t do the same for her best friend Wendy who sadly passed away after her breast cancer had returned in 2008.
Later on in the programme, the star explained to her Full Monty celebrity stars Real Housewives’ Christine McGuinness, Love Island’s Demi Jones and Loose Women’s Brenda Edwards that she would be ditching her bra.
True to her word, Laila was first to ditch her underwear as she proudly showed off her body.
After her performance, she was praised by host Ashley Banjo but she wasn’t about to accept any compliments.
She chirped back: “I had cancer and if I had of died I wouldn’t be doing this would I.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
