EastEnders actress Heather Peace, known for her role as Eve Unwin, has shared a deeply emotional update confirming she has completed chemotherapy in her breast cancer battle—and revealed that her wife, Ellie Dickinson, was also diagnosed and treated.
Peace, 50, announced that she had finished her final session of 15 radiotherapy treatments, marking the end of a gruelling nine-month period including diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, reconstruction, and radiotherapy. In a recent Instagram post, she wrote:
“Final round of 15 radio therapy sessions just completed. This marked the end of long 9 months of diagnosis, surgery, chemo and radio. Time to piece myself back together. Thanks for all the beautiful support.” (hashtag #checkyourbreasts #breastcancerawareness)
She also disclosed that Ellie received her own breast cancer diagnosis earlier.
“Her breast cancer was a smaller, aggressive lump, so she had a lumpectomy and then radiotherapy,” Peace said. “Of course, then I come along with my 12cm lump, absolutely ginormous, and mastectomy, chemotherapy… just about to go into radiotherapy. She’s like, ‘Even that you have to do bigger.’ It’s like ‘Hold my beer.’”
In her podcast appearance, Peace explained why she continued filming on EastEnders even after her diagnosis:
“I wanted to finish this arc of the story… If beyond that it’s a mess, I can leave and feel like I’ve put a full stop on something.”
After surviving the intense chemotherapy, Peace said she felt vulnerable—a sentiment echoed in Reddit discussions:
“I felt very vulnerable. I felt I lost a bit of my confidence.”
She added that returning to work on EastEnders was essential for her mental health, with castmates sitting “like a cast of friends who absolutely enveloped me and made me feel safe.”
Fans have flooded her Instagram with messages of admiration and encouragement:
“What an amazing woman. Her sheer will and determination… has been unbelievable.”
“What a legend.”
“As someone going through a similar diagnosis, seeing Heather on the other side… is incredibly inspiring.”
Her co-star Kellie Bright praised her strength and resilience publicly, and Peace herself has emphasized that healing now extends beyond her body:
“This journey with Ellie… I feel proud of our marriage… we’ve been able to show up for each other.”
Peace underwent a left breast mastectomy and reconstruction in late 2024 and has acknowledged the psychological importance of the procedure:
“It was Ellie who said, ‘I know that you wouldn’t cope without a breast as such.’ … The level of care in the aesthetic, knowing how much that part of me meant.”
Now focused on recovery, Peace has shared her intent to rebuild her body and mind through fitness and creative projects. She even resumed soap filming during her treatment and aims to use this experience to raise awareness about breast cancer and women’s health.
