The ER and Doctor Who star reveals she secretly battled womb cancer while preparing for Strictly

Actress Alex Kingston has revealed that she was diagnosed with womb cancer last year — a secret struggle that unfolded while she prepared for one of television’s most high-profile competitions.

The Doctor Who and ER star, now competing on Strictly Come Dancing, told The Independent she underwent a hysterectomy followed by radiation therapy, with treatment concluding late in 2024.

“I had assumed that the way I was feeling was just old age,” Kingston admitted. “I thought, ‘OK, this is what it’s like to be in my sixties.’ But a lot of how I was feeling was to do with my illness.”

The 62-year-old, celebrated for her portrayals of River Song in Doctor Who and Dr Elizabeth Corday in ER, said she had been experiencing bloating and persistent aches for some time before realising something was seriously wrong. The turning point came when she noticed blood in her urine.

“I never went down the cancer road in my head,” she explained. “It was a shock, because I have a very positive outlook on life in general. Even though my body was telling me there was something very seriously wrong, I kept thinking, ‘Oh, I’ve got a bad UTI or fibroids.’”

Her 2024, she said, was dominated by the diagnosis, the surgery, and the exhausting rounds of therapy that followed. “I had a major operation,” Kingston recalled. “I had to have a hysterectomy, I had to go into radiation therapy, and that took up a huge part of my life.”

At one point, her illness intruded in a frighteningly public way. While performing The Other Boleyn Girl at the Chichester Festival Theatre in West Sussex in April and May 2024, Kingston suffered a haemorrhage on stage — an episode she described as “shocking.”

After the show’s run, she sought medical advice. Tests revealed that the cancer had been in her fallopian tubes but had not spread to her ovaries — a small mercy that meant she could be treated without further complications.

“The minute I had the operation, I suddenly felt like myself again,” she said, describing the overwhelming sense of relief after months of fear and fatigue.

Now cancer-free and thriving on Strictly Come Dancing, Kingston said her experience has transformed the way she views life — and inspired her to say yes to the glittering BBC competition. “Life is too short not to take the opportunities you want,” she said.

Kingston is paired with professional dancer Johannes Radebe, and the duo topped the leaderboard last week with a dazzling samba. The actress’s energy and warmth on screen have captivated viewers, many of whom were unaware that she was recovering from a life-changing illness only months earlier.

Speaking candidly, Kingston urged women not to ignore symptoms or dismiss warning signs. “If you feel something isn’t right, get checked,” she said. “Don’t just assume it’s age or stress.”

According to the NHS, the most common symptom of womb cancer is unexpected vaginal bleeding, which may include bleeding after menopause, between periods, or following sex. Other signs can include unusually heavy or persistent periods and watery or blood-tinged discharge. Doctors stress that not all abnormal bleeding indicates cancer, but any such symptom warrants a visit to a GP.

Kingston’s story joins a growing number of women publicly highlighting the need for awareness around womb cancer — a disease whose early signs are often mistaken for menopause or minor hormonal changes.

Her courage in speaking out adds a deeply human dimension to her dazzling return to the public eye. Behind the sequins and spotlights, her story is one of endurance, shock, and resilience — a reminder that even in the glare of fame, life can turn fragile in an instant.