Former EastEnders star Cheryl Fergison provided an update on her health following a stroke eight months ago.
The 60-year-old actress, best known for portraying Heather Trott in the BBC soap, was struck down by the medical emergency in May 2025, which robbed her of the ability to walk or speak.
During an appearance on BBC Breakfast on Thursday, she updated presenters Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty about her progress.
"I'm getting there slowly, I'm recovering slowly. It's a long process but my mind is positive now," she told viewers. "It wasn't in the beginning but it is now. I'm happy to be here, to be quite honest."
Cheryl Fergison opened up about her stroke
|BBC
The actress had previously described the experience as "one of the lowest times in my life."
Ms Fergison recounted the frightening events of that night, explaining she had gone to bed suffering from a "terrible headache" at the back of her head.
When she got up to use the bathroom during the night, she collapsed.
"I fell on the floor," she recalled. Her son Alex, whose work with elderly people had familiarised him with stroke symptoms, immediately suspected what had happened and summoned an ambulance.
Cheryl Fergison lost the ability to walk and speak
|BBC
The actress was rushed to hospital in Blackpool, where she began the lengthy process of retraining her brain to coordinate her hands, regain her balance and learn to walk again.
"It literally changed my life from that day on," Ms Fergison explained. "I could speak but couldn't formulate many words in the hospital. I had to think about it and that was hard to talk about."
Ms Fergison believes the stroke resulted from years of accumulated pressure within the entertainment industry, combined with persistently elevated blood pressure.
"Our industry is renowned for being quite a stressful business, it's kind of feast and famine with us," she said.
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Cheryl Fergison starred in EastEnders from 2007 to 2012
|GETTY
"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."
The year leading up to her stroke had been particularly demanding, with the actress completing her autobiography and celebrating her 60th birthday.
"A lot of stressful things have happened in my life," she reflected. "In the book, it highlights a lot of the stresses that have been caused over the years, and I think it was a build up."
Fergison credited the Stroke Association and her medical team with supporting her recovery, noting that her right side "is still quite heavy" but that she is "making a full recovery."
The actress is now preparing to return to performing, with her play Living the Life of Riley 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.
Ms Fergison also issued a warning to viewers, urging them to recognise they are "not invincible" and to take their health seriously.
"If you want to live a healthy, long life, you need to start thinking about your stress levels and everything [to] calm you down," she advised.