BBC EastEnders star shares gratitude for ‘beautiful support’ as she shares huge update in cancer battle
EastEnders star Heather Peace has shared a major update in her cancer battle with fans.
The 40-year-old, who plays Eve Unwin in the BBC soap, has been candid on her journey, sharing milestone moments with fans on social media.
In a positive development, Peace explained on Thursday that she has completed treatment.
The actress first shared news of her diagnosis in May, with her EastEnders co-stars rushing to support her in the comments of a video she posted.
The clip saw her trying on a wig in a dressing room as part of what she described as her “recent journey”.
Earlier this month, she also opened up on the fact that her wife Ellie Dickinson had also been diagnosed with breast cancer.
This week, she smiled broadly for the camera with a thumbs up in an Instagram Story picture of herself alongside details that read: “Final round of 15 radiotherapy sessions just completed. This marks the end of long 9 months of diagnosis, surgery, chemo & radio.
“Time to piece myself back together. Thanks for the beautiful support. #checkyour breasts #breastcancerawareness.”
Opening up about her her wife of 11 years had previously been treated for a smaller but aggressive lump, she told The Mirror: “She’s like, ‘Even that you have to do bigger.’ It’s like ‘Hold my beer.'”
The couple have supported one another throughout their respective cancer journeys.
Peace’s diagnosis came after she noticed changes in one of her nipples but initially delayed seeking medical attention due to her demanding EastEnders filming schedule.
It was Dickinson who eventually persuaded her to see a doctor, and within three hours of that appointment, she received her breast cancer diagnosis.
“I swear everybody looked at me, it might be my imagination, but I felt like a dead woman walking,” Peace told the publication.
“I honestly did because it was so big, and so quick that they told us and the seriousness and gravity with which I was told.”
Dickinson’s “breast cancer was a smaller, aggressive lump, so she had a lumpectomy and then radiotherapy,” Peace explained.
Peace underwent a left breast mastectomy in November 2024 with immediate reconstruction surgery, continuing to work on EastEnders throughout her treatment.
Speaking about her diagnosis in a separate interview from this month, the actress explained why she made the decision to continue to film scenes for the BBC soap following the diagnosis.
The news came as her EastEnders plotline has reached a pivotal point. Peace’s character Eve’s storyline with Suki Panesar (played by Balvinder Sopal) was wrapping up, with the pair set to get married after a dramatic start to their relationship.
Peace reflected on finishing the storyline despite bosses saying she didn’t need to work.
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“We got back to Brighton at 7 o’clock, and I was on the road at 10 past five that morning, to Elstree, to start possibly the two biggest weeks that I’ve done on EastEnders,” she recalled.
“I said, ‘I need to come in’ because at this point, I don’t know what’s going to happen.
“And I want to finish this arc of the story. Not coming in for the next two weeks is not going to change anything, but at least let me put the full stop on a story that’s been playing out for nearly two and a half years.”
Speaking on Gaby Roslin’s podcast, she continued: “If we get to the end of that and we see them get married and we see them successful, if beyond that it’s a mess, I can leave and feel like I’ve put a full stop on something.”