Sarah Spina-Matthews & Anna Jameson News, Manchester
Coronation Street star Sally Dynevor is set to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to support breast cancer prevention after surviving the disease herself.
Dynevor, who plays Sally Metcalfe on the ITV soap, was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 46 – at the same time that her on-screen character was also fighting the disease.
Now aged 62, her five-day trek to the top of the dormant volcano in Tanzania, is her latest challenge in a bid to raise funds for charity Prevent Breast Cancer.
“I have no idea why I am doing this, but as a breast cancer survivor, I want to do as much as I can for this charity,” Dynevor said.
She added: “I’m up for anything and this is a great challenge, I’m really looking forward to it.”
In 2019, she climbed to Everest Base Camp for the charity.
She is set to do the latest trek with her son Sam and 13 other volunteers from the charity.
Dynevor said playing a character with breast cancer was what prompted her to check herself for abnormalities, leading to her diagnosis.
“Because I was only 46, I really thought I was too young to get breast cancer,” she said.
“But I’ve since realised it doesn’t matter what age you are – you need to check.
“And at the first signs of anything, go to your doctor and get it checked out.”
Chief executive of Prevent Breast Cancer Nikki Barraclough, who is also doing the trek, said: “The fund raised from the challenge will go to our research and it will be projects focussed on gene research, early detection and screening, preventative drugs and risk-reducing factors as well.”
