Former soap star Ali Bastian has unveiled that her mum tragically died in 2023, just months before her devastating cancer diagnosis. The 43-year-old actress - who is best known for playing Becca Dean in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks from 2001 to 2007 - was left in "total shock" when she found out her stage two breast cancer at the end of June 2024. Ali - who now lives in Ireland with her husband and two young daughters - had weekly chemotherapy sessions before she underwent a mastectomy and radiotherapy. However, just months before she learned about her illness, Ali experienced personal tragedy with her mother's death.

Writing online alongside a picture of her hugging her mum during her wedding day, Ali said: "I wrote this on Mother’s Day but didn’t end up posting, but here goes… TW grief. We lost our beautiful Mum in the autumn of ‘23, only a few months before my diagnosis.

"A sudden death after a short, terrible illness. Impossible to make sense of," Ali continued. "Grief, I attempted to put on hold whilst I managed a gruelling treatment regime now comes in waves, sometimes crashing, sometimes tidal, rarely gentle… but I try to go gently with myself as I navigate life after cancer and life without you."

"I love you, Mum, always and forever. Days like today are so complicated… letting in all the love from my little people and loving them back with all my might whilst the child within me longs for your arms wrapped tight around me. [...] I hope you are watching over us, Mum, and I hope we are making you proud."

Ali was breastfeeding her and husband David O’Mahony's youngest daughter Isabella when she came across a lump.

The mother-of-two - who also has four-year-old daughter Isla with her spouse - shared: “I hadn’t been breastfeeding Izzy at night but then David flew back to London for work and suddenly she was feeding like crazy. I was thinking, ‘Maybe she’s having a growth spurt or something.’ And because of that, my boobs felt sore. The next morning, I woke up and thought, ‘Ouch, this really hurts.’ And that’s when I felt a lump."

Last month, Ali revealed that she was cancer-free after a six-month battle. She said on Instagram, "I wanted to update you all. I'm on to my final week of radiotherapy, which should mark the end of my active treatment - I hope and pray for good.

"I had my mastectomy in January which was thankfully a success and has healed really well, it proved that my chemo had worked. As I sit here right now, I’m free from cancer. I can't even believe it."