Eden Taylor-Draper described the pain of watching her younger sister Francesca go through a gruelling cancer battle on Tuesday’s episode of Lorraine.
The Emmerdale star, 24, was in the middle of filming when her dad called her to reveal the devastating diagnosis last year, and took a break from the soap for a month to be at her sister’s side.
Appearing on the morning show with her – now recovered – sibling by her side, Eden reflected: ‘It was so tough to see someone you love so much and so tiny go through all of that and as much as you’re there supporting them, you can’t fix it and you can’t help.’
‘You can’t fix it and you can’t help’: Emmerdale’s Eden Taylor-Draper described the pain of watching her younger sister Francesca battle cancer on Monday’s episode of Lorraine
Francesca, now 17, was just 14 when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and endured months of chemotherapy.
Looking back on the day her dad called her with the sad news, Eden – who plays Belle Dingle on the soap – said: ‘They [the Emmerdale team] were amazing. We were on tea break and they just said, “Go, anything you need we’re here”
‘I was just in shock. They gave me a month off, so while Ches was in intensive chemo, I could be there. They’re amazing.’
Detailing her diagnosis, Francesca explained: ‘I had acute lymphoblastic lymphoma which is a form of blood cancer and at the time of my diagnosis, my cancerous cells were at 97 per cent, so there was only three per cent of my blood that was classed as healthy.’
Brave: Francesca, now 17, was just 14 when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and endured months of chemotherapy
She continued: ‘I felt tired and I lost quite a bit of weight but the most telling thing was I was having these really bad leg pains, like excruciating to the point where I couldn’t walk and I was having to leave school early, and I also had this massive rash on my legs which was when doctors starting thinking it could be something more serious.
‘But a lot of the symptoms were quite generic, which I think is the scary thing about it because feeling tired and a little bit under the weather, your mind would never go to cancer.
Francesca explained that the illness affected her both physically and mentally, she said: ‘Being a teenage girl is hard anyway, and adding cancer to that, I think my mental health took a massive toll.’
Eden explained to Lorraine of her sister’s cancer battle: ‘It was so tough to see someone you love so much and so tiny go through all of that’
She added: ‘I didn’t want to say to my mum and dad that I really couldn’t keep going with treatment – that was one of the things I could speak to the psychologist about.
‘Everyone is affected by it. It wasn’t just me. I saw my family get so upset about it and I think you don’t want to feel like a burden…
‘Not that they would see me in that way, but definitely having a psychologist there or having someone there who isn’t immediate family to speak to is so so helpful.’
Sad: The actress revealed she was in the middle of filming as Belle Dingle when her dad called her to reveal the devastating diagnosis
Francesca had to endure four rounds of chemotherapy, lost her hair and even contracted sepsis during her treatment.
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She stayed on the Teenage Cancer Trust ward at Leeds General Infirmary during her treatment and is now backing the charity’s latest campaign with her sister.
Eden was also written out of Emmerdale for a month so she could be with her family, and recalled spending hours cuddling Francesca and watching films at her bedside.
Francesca finished her chemotherapy in December 2018, and was still undergoing maintenance treatments and taking daily tablets until September.
Hopeful: Francesca finished her chemotherapy in December 2018, and was still undergoing maintenance treatments and taking daily tablets until September
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