Actress Samantha Womack, who appears on Sunday Brunch today (March 1), has previously revealed the deeply personal truth that she began preparing for her own death after being diagnosed with cancer.
The 53-year-old, best known for playing Ronnie Mitchell in the BBC soap EastEnders, disclosed in 2022 that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer while paying tribute to the late Olivia Newton-John.
Although Samantha later shared a positive update confirming she was cancer-free by December 2022, she has admitted that the diagnosis forced her to confront her mortality from the very beginning.
Speaking candidly last year, Samantha explained how cancer pushed her into a mental space she had never expected to enter.
“You obviously never want to lose your life,” she said. “But cancer forces you to look into that cupboard. I started preparing for that from the beginning, because you realise you could be close to having that final moment.”
She went on to describe preparing herself emotionally for the possibility of having only months left to live.
“I started preparing for the ‘what’s going to happen if I’ve only got six months.’ But once you’ve looked in that cupboard, it’s not as scary as you think. I felt like, ‘OK, that cupboard is there, and I don’t know when it’s going to be fully open.’”
After undergoing six months of treatment, Samantha admitted that surviving cancer also came at a financial cost. She revealed she now has “far less money” than before — but said the experience completely reshaped her priorities.
“I’ve definitely changed as a human,” she explained. “If I feel like I need a break, or a check-up, or if I’m uncomfortable with a job or a group of people, I trust my inner voice so much more than I ever did.
“If something doesn’t feel right — health-wise or otherwise — I’m far more confident now to say, ‘Do you know what? I don’t think this is for me.’ My perception has shifted.”
Samantha also reflected on how financial insecurity shaped much of her early life, describing money worries as a long-standing source of anxiety that once dominated her thoughts.
Growing up without stability left her craving financial safety — something she once believed was essential to feeling physically secure.
However, surviving cancer has fundamentally altered that fear. Despite admitting she still worries about money, she revealed she now turns down more work than ever before.
“Normally, as my bank balance disappears, that anxiety would keep me awake at night,” she said. “I still worry about it, but it doesn’t take over my entire body anymore — because I know I’m safe.”
While Samantha has been cancer-free for more than three years, she recently faced fresh heartbreak when her aunt, Angie Best, was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer — a reminder that the shadow of illness never fully disappears.
Her story is a powerful reflection on survival, perspective, and the quiet strength found in facing the unthinkable.
