EastEnders star begged bosses to let her film during cancer battle for heartbreaking reason

EastEnders actress Heather Peace refused to stop filming during her cancer diagnosis as she had a worry she couldn't shake. The actress - who plays Eve Unwin on the soap - got her diagnosis just before a huge storyline kicked off.

Earlier this year, Eve and Suki finally got their happy ending as they planned to marry - but things took a dark twist on their wedding day when Suki's ex-husband Nish Panesar tried to kill them both, before dying himself.

At the same time, Heather had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She was desperate not to stop filming the soap's big scenes as she revealed her heartbreaking reason for being so concerned about getting the scenes done.

READ MORE: Man visits one-star Miami hotel and can't believe what a bargain it is

READ MORE: Pet owners rush to claim free flea treatment as UK heatwave sees pests rise

"We got back to Brighton at 7 o’clock, and I was on the road at 10 past five that morning, to Elstree, to start possibly the two biggest weeks that I’ve done on EastEnders. I said, 'I need to come in' because at this point I don’t know what’s going to happen," she said.

Speaking on Gaby Roslin's podcast, she added: "And I want to finish this arc of the story. Not coming in for the next two weeks is not going to change anything, but at least let me put the full stop on a story that’s been playing out for nearly two and a half years.

"If we get to the end of that and we see them get married and we see them successful, if beyond that it’s a mess, I can leave and feel like I’ve put a full stop on something."

Heather explained her biggest concern during her diagnosis and the weeks that followed was how her death might affect her wife and her children, as she explained the weight of her worries sat heavy on her.

"looked at everything I’d done, everybody in my life - my kids, my wife, equal marriage coming in, crazy amounts of stuff - and I felt my goodness, I’ve really packed it in and it’s ok. And actually I’m a bit tired. Those were my honest thoughts," she said, "My only concern was breaking anybody else’s heart. I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that was the only thing that bothered me ...

"I need to live for the day. We’ve got our three kids. We’re going away on a holiday for two weeks. They’re at that golden age. The twins Jesse and Lola are eight, Annie is 10. The five of us are going away. We’re going on holiday for two weeks and that’s been the thing that I’ve held on to since February, through this whole chemo journey. I just want to enjoy them and savour every second."

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Threads.