Beverley Callard has opened up about the difficult reality of life after radiotherapy, revealing that she has been left feeling “dreadful” just days after reaching a major milestone in her breast cancer treatment.

The 69-year-old Coronation Street favourite had every reason to feel relieved last week when she completed all 10 of her planned radiotherapy sessions.

After months of uncertainty, surgery, hospital appointments and treatment, finishing that final session felt like a moment she had been waiting for.

But Beverley has now revealed that the days that followed were far tougher than she had expected.

In a candid update shared with her followers, the actress admitted she had initially believed completing radiotherapy would mean the hardest part was immediately behind her.

Instead, her body was still dealing with the effects of treatment.

“Well, what a weekend,” she began, explaining that she had finished radiotherapy the previous Thursday.

“In my naivety I thought, ‘Well, that’s great.’”

For much of her treatment, Beverley said she had coped relatively well. There had been days when she felt unwell, but overall she believed she had managed the experience better than she might have expected.

Then the weekend arrived.

“This weekend, oh my God, I’ve felt dreadful,” she admitted.

The actress revealed that the skin around her chest had become extremely sore, while she was also experiencing nausea, dizziness, exhaustion and a significant loss of appetite.

She explained that she had been trying aloe vera and various lotions in an attempt to soothe her skin, but the physical effects had still taken her by surprise.

“I feel dizzy, I feel worn out,” she said, adding simply: “To be honest, I’m in shock.”

“Apparently, I’m still cooking”

One comment from her medical team suddenly began to make much more sense.

Beverley recalled a nurse warning her that finishing radiotherapy did not necessarily mean the effects of treatment would immediately stop.

Another woman had described the process to her in even more memorable terms.

“Beverley, you’re still cooking,” she had been told.

At the time, the phrase may have sounded unusual. Now, Beverley says she understands exactly what it means.

Her skin feels intensely hot, she explained, while she can also feel a sensation of heat inside her body.

Alongside her update, she summed up the experience with characteristic humour, writing that she was apparently still “cooking” — and that it certainly felt that way.

Despite feeling exhausted, Beverley made clear that she is doing everything she can to look after herself.

She is resting frequently, eating as healthily as possible despite losing her appetite, and plans to research nutrition and vitamins as she continues recovering.

But perhaps the most important part of her message was directed at others facing a similar experience.

“Don’t expect too much of yourself,” she urged.

It was a simple but powerful reminder that reaching the end of a treatment schedule does not necessarily mean recovery happens overnight.

A milestone she had desperately hoped to reach

Only days earlier, Beverley had shared a very different update as she celebrated completing her tenth radiotherapy session.

“I’ve done it,” she announced proudly.

Although she acknowledged that many cancer patients undergo considerably more sessions, completing her own course represented an enormous personal milestone.

For now, she said, radiotherapy was finished.

Her hope is that she will not require further sessions, although she knows more medical appointments and checks still lie ahead.

Her husband, Jon McEwan, has remained firmly by her side throughout the journey and encouraged her to keep thinking positively.

“Positive thinking, darling,” he told her during her emotional update.

Beverley agreed.

Yet the moment was not marked with a huge celebration.

After everything they had been through, the couple were simply exhausted.

Instead of champagne or a glamorous night out, Beverley joked that her perfect celebration involved putting on comfortable clothes, sitting in front of the television and having a cup of tea.

It was an understated ending to an intense chapter — although, as she has now discovered, her body still needs time to recover.

The next two months bring another wait

Beverley’s treatment journey is not completely finished.

She is expected to see her specialist again in around two months, when doctors will be able to give her a clearer picture of what comes next.

Further mammograms, oncology appointments and ongoing monitoring are expected to form part of her follow-up care.

That means another period of waiting — something Beverley has already had to endure repeatedly since receiving her diagnosis earlier this year.

Her radiotherapy schedule consisted of 10 sessions across two weeks: five consecutive days of treatment, a weekend break, followed by another five days.

Before treatment could begin, she also had to undergo scans and mapping procedures so doctors could carefully plan the radiotherapy.

The actress had previously revealed that medical professionals were concerned about delays to the start of her treatment.

Beverley recently moved from England to Ireland, and transferring her medical records between the two countries reportedly took time.

Hearing that doctors would have preferred her radiotherapy to begin earlier was understandably difficult.

She admitted at the time that it “wasn’t what she wanted to hear.”

Still, she continued moving forward.

Her diagnosis came just as an exciting new chapter was beginning

The timing of Beverley’s cancer diagnosis made the news particularly shocking.

Earlier this year, she had joined the cast of Irish soap Fair City as Lily, the quirky and unpredictable long-lost mother of Carrigstown resident Gwen.

It was supposed to mark an exciting new chapter in a television career that has already made her one of Britain’s most recognisable soap stars.

Then came the phone call that changed everything.

Beverley was preparing to work when her doctor contacted her with the devastating news that she had breast cancer.

Suddenly, scripts and filming schedules were replaced by surgery, treatment plans and hospital appointments.

She returned to the UK for treatment and spent around four months away from work while undergoing surgery and beginning her recovery.

For an actress who had spent decades working in television, returning to a film set after everything she had experienced became an emotional milestone of its own.

When she finally went back to Fair City, Beverley admitted she felt nervous.

She compared the feeling to returning to school for the first day of a new term.

“I’m really nervous and on edge,” she confessed before filming.

But those nerves quickly disappeared.

Once she was back among the cast and crew, something familiar returned.

She laughed.

She got the giggles.

And, perhaps most importantly, she briefly felt as though she had never been away.

After finishing her first day back, Beverley described the experience as “fantastic,” revealing how warmly she had been welcomed by everyone around her.

For someone whose life had been dominated by medical appointments for months, returning to work offered a precious sense of normality.

Still moving forward, one day at a time

Beverley’s latest update is a reminder that cancer treatment rarely follows a simple emotional timeline.

Finishing radiotherapy can be a huge milestone worthy of celebration, while the physical effects of treatment can continue afterwards.

For Beverley, that contrast has been particularly striking.

One moment she was celebrating session number 10 and hoping the treatment was behind her.

Days later, she found herself exhausted, nauseous, sore and surprised by just how much rest her body still needed.

Yet throughout her journey, the actress has continued to speak openly about both the hopeful moments and the difficult ones.

She has shared the nerves before hospital appointments, the joy of returning to work, the relief of completing treatment and now the uncomfortable reality of recovery.

There is still uncertainty ahead.

There will be more appointments, more tests and another important conversation with her specialist in the coming months.

But for now, Beverley is listening to the message her body is giving her: rest, recover and do not expect too much too soon.

After completing 10 radiotherapy sessions and navigating months that have transformed her life, she has reached an important milestone.

The treatment may be finished for now.

The healing, however, is still very much underway.