Sally Dynevor, renowned actress of Coronation Street, shares her shock and disbelief upon learning about her breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 46 by claiming she 'fainted'.

Sally Dynevor says she ‘fainted’ when she was first told she had breast cancer.

The Coronation Street star, now 60, was diagnosed for the first time aged 46 – at the same time her on-screen character Sally Metcalfe was battling the disease.

Sally, who is mother to Bridgerton actress Phoebe, said she didn’t initially believe the diagnosis as she thought the doctor was referring to her character in the TV soap.

She told BBC Breakfast: ‘When the doctor told me “You have breast cancer” I fainted.

‘Then I said, “I think you’re getting me mixed up with my character.”

Scary time: Sally Dynevor says she ‘fainted’ when she was first told she had breast cancer

Tricky: The Coronation Street star, now 60, was diagnosed at the same time her on-screen character Sally Metcalfe was battling the disease

‘It was just unbelievable.’

The coincidence was marked further by the fact that Sally was diagnosed on the same day she filmed the scene where her character told her husband about the cancer.

Sally is now fronting a Prevent Breast Cancer campaign to improve resources for breast cancer screening.

And last week Sally called for ‘a wider conversation to be had about menopause’ as she opened up about being unable to take HRT after battling breast cancer.

The soap actress from Lancashire revealed that she entered the transitional stage earlier than she expected during an appearance on Loose Women.

Cancer treatments can often cause women to enter menopause prematurely due to changing hormone levels, leading to symptoms including hot flashes, anxiety and nigh sweats.

Speaking on Loose Women about that time, Sally, said she felt would suddenly start to feel nervous and unsure.

‘I was 46 when I got breast cancer so I was probably near going through the menopause but I was still quite young so I wasn’t really expecting it,’ she revealed.

‘And suddenly I just remember walking into work one day and thinking, “Oh my gosh I’m really nervous, I feel really anxious, if anybody talks to me I just want to cry”.’

‘I knew I was going through the menopause but when I got those symptoms of being anxious I didn’t realise that’s what it was, they were linked, I just thought: “Why am I feeling like this?”.’

Adding that ‘every woman is completely different’, Sally also shared that what really helped her deal with symptoms was going to the gym.

‘I just suddenly thought, “I really need to do this for my mental health”. I know that’s really boring.’

Sally can’t take HRT to deal with menopause symptoms because doctors often don’t recommend it to those with a history of breast cancer.

‘I think there’s a wider conversation to be had about menopause and the fact that everybody says, “Oh you know, I take HRT”. I can’t take HRT so I have to find other ways.

‘One size doesn’t fit all and we need to be talking about other ways of coping.’

The 60-year-old soap actress, who plays Sally Metcalfe in the ITV programme, got diagnosed when she was 46, and revealed that she entered the transitional stage earlier than she expected