EastEnders star Danielle Harold has told how she now gets her headaches checked by medics after portraying character Lola Pearce’s devastating cancer battle.
The 31 year old actress said the storyline made her aware that sharp pains in the head can be the first signs of a brain tumour – so now she is “very cautious” and gets checked over. Danielle’s character Lola died from cancer last month – prompting an outpouring of grief from devastated fans. The actress has received many plaudits for the way she played the role – and even won the coveted Best Soap Actor gong at the Television and Radio Industry Club awards this week.
After winning the award, she told The Mirror : “The show reminded me to get checked. It’s raising awareness. If you’ve got headaches or sharp pains, they’re the first signs of a brain tumour so go and get it checked.
“It’s worth it. It’s not worth ignoring. That’s a story I’ve heard a lot… the headaches keep coming and people don’t get checked until it was too late. I did go to get checked. I’ve always been very cautious.”
Danielle went on to say she had been inundated with messages from fans following her departure from the soap – with people telling their ‘really close personal stories’ with cancer. She admitted it was a lot to ‘take on her shoulders’ but added she wanted to ‘help everyone involved’.
Danielle, who played Lola on the BBC soap for eight years, recently shared her sadness at leaving her EastEnders character behind. She told OK! : “I was sad for Lola, and I’ve played her for such a long time.
“It’s crazy that it’s coming to an end now. But I’ve also been so busy because the storyline has been so full-on that I’ve not really had time to think about finishing or me going."
And speaking to OK! on the red carpet following her TRIC Awards win, she said:"Obviously, I've been there for such a long time.
"When you've played a character for so long, watching them die is so difficult because you love that character. It sounds silly but you've just played them for so long and every little bit of you, so it was so sad when Lola died."
Danielle was involved in the tragic storyline for a number of months but said it was the "best way possible" to leave.
She added: "It raised so much awareness for cancer and it's done so much good, so I'm just really proud to be a part of it." Talking about any upcoming plans for the future, Danielle said: "I don't think I'm going to do soaps for a bit, I would love to do some dramas or films."
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