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Former EastEnders favourite Cheryl Fergison has shared a deeply honest update on her health, eight months on from suffering a life-changing stroke that left her unable to walk or speak.

The 60-year-old actress, best known for playing the much-loved Heather Trott in EastEnders appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning, where she was seen leaving the studio using a walking stick as she continues what she describes as a ‘long process’ of recovery.

Cheryl suffered a stroke in May last year, a moment she has previously called ‘one of the lowest times in my life’. Speaking to hosts Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty, she said she’s making progress, even if it’s slower than she’d like.

‘I’m recovering slowly,’ she explained, adding that she’s feeling ‘a lot better’ than she was. ‘It’s a long process, but my mind is positive now. It wasn’t in the beginning, but it is now. I’m happy to be here, to be quite honest.’

Looking back, Cheryl believes years of pressure in the acting world may have contributed to her stroke. She described it as the result of a gradual build-up rather than something that came out of nowhere.

‘My blood pressure was always high. Our industry is renowned for being quite a stressful business; it’s kind of feast and famine with us,’ she said. ‘If you’re not worrying about your job and what to do and how to be top of your game, you’re worrying about how to survive with money and things like that.’

Before the stroke, Cheryl recalls experiencing a ‘terrible headache’ before collapsing on the floor. It was her son Alex, who had worked with elderly people, who recognised the warning signs and acted quickly. She was rushed to the hospital in Blackpool, where doctors confirmed she’d suffered a stroke.

From that moment, everything changed. ‘It literally changed my life from that day on,’ Cheryl said. ‘I could speak but couldn’t formulate many words in the hospital.’

She explained that the stroke affected the entire right side of her body, leaving her unable to walk. ‘My right side, which is still quite heavy, wasn’t working at all. I couldn’t walk, and over these months, slowly but surely, at my own pace and with the help of all my stroke team and with the Stroke Association, who have been brilliant, I’m here and making a full recovery.’

Cheryl also reflected on the incredibly intense year leading up to the stroke, which included turning 60 and writing her autobiography. ‘Once I left EastEnders, I thought, “Right, I need to start losing some weight here”. I’d lost about two stone, which was quite good,’ she said.

Now, Cheryl is using her experience to encourage others to take their health seriously, urging fans to ‘start thinking’ about stress levels if they want to live long, healthy lives.

Despite everything she’s been through, she’s not turning her back on the industry she loves. Cheryl revealed she’s preparing to return to the stage in a new play, Living the Life of Riley, which is set to tour the UK next month.

‘I’m going to do the thing I love the most and be in my industry again and I am so thrilled to be doing it,’ she said.