Hollyoaks star Ali Bastian recalls being cruelly mum-shamed on set by an 'older actress' following breast cancer battle
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Former Hollyoaks star Ali Bastian has recalled being cruelly mum-shamed on set by an 'older actress' following her breast cancer battle.
Ali, 42, who has daughters Isabella, 23-months, and Isla, four, said she completely 'froze' after one woman's comments.
Speaking in a video shared to Instagram on Thursday, the actress explained how she was made to feel uncomfortable on her first job after having Isla.
Ali began: 'I went on a job and it was the first time that I'd been away from Isla.
'She was a really allergic baby - we'd had about seven blue light runs with her. It had been a real nightmare.'
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She continued: 'I'd breast-fed her for about two and a half years but in the middle of that, I got a job for a couple of days of filming.
'I decided to do it and I got talking to a slightly older actress and I said, 'it's the first time away from my baby'.
'She asked how old was my baby and I think I said, "oh 18 months", and she was like, "oh..."
'I said to her I'm still breastfeeding so I'm pumping and everything and she was like, "oh, you are not going to be one of those mums, are you?"
'Me being me, I just froze and I didn't say anything!'
It comes after Ali Bastian revealed her body is 'under construction' as she opened up about her recovery after battling cancer.
The actress was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer last year and underwent gruelling chemotherapy and had a mastectomy.
In March of this year, however, Ali delighted fans by revealing she was officially cancer-free in a health update.
She discovered she had cancer after finding a lump, which she thought was a blocked milk duct while she was feeding her daughter.
Now, the actress has opened up on her recovery, admitting her body is 'under construction' as she weighs up undergoing reconstruction surgery.
Speaking to Giovanna Fletcher on her Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, Ali said: 'I couldn't have a reconstruction at the time because we always knew I'd have to have radiotherapy. At some point there'll be some kind of something.
'Initially I was like 100 per cent it's happening. But now, I want to have the conversations and talk through what the options are, but I'm not actually married to any of them at the moment.'
Ali is best known for playing Becca Dean in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks from 2001 to 2007 and also competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2009.
Giovanna, 40, asked Ali how she handled her recovery so far, which she answered: 'In some ways better than I would have imagined actually, even the sort of gearing up for a mastectomy.
'I've got a really good prosthetic that makes a big difference. It means in clothes I feel normal. It's bright pink. It makes me happy.
'It's just very different to the lump of silicone that you get handed in the hospital, which is a hell of a moment.
'This is a lot lighter and easy to wear. I quite like that it doesn't look like a chicken fillet, like a pretend boob.
'It's something that I could show the kids as well because it's so visually appealing.
'It was one of those little bridging things. I just keep saying to myself really "I'm still under construction, I've been through a lot, I'm healing at the moment".'
As Ali continues her recovery, she revealed she can now focus on addressing other health issues, such as a large hernia from the birth of her children.
The proud mum has two daughters - Isla, five, and two-year-old Isabella with her husband David O'Mahony.
'I've got a big old hernia from my babies as well,' she said.
'Because of all of this I haven't been able to have that done, and actually I'm more keen to get that done than anything else because that is harder to hide.
'It's like a tennis ball. I've had it for five years, and it needs to go now.'
