Coronation Street DS Swain star's real-life from cancer battle to bitter divorce

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Coronation Street star Vicky Myers has previously talked about her harrowing ordeal with cancer amidst a gruelling divorce. Diagnosed in the same tumultuous year as her separation, Vicky was forced to put her acting aspirations on hold. Financial hardships hit hard, and she resorted to taking on ironing work to make ends meet. She stepped away from the relentless audition circuit for two years, opting instead for office work while caring for her teenage daughter Meghan.

Yet, Vicky's resilience shone through, and she not only boasts a regular spot on the Corrie cast but also plays a pivotal role in the gripping storyline involving Joel Deering. Her path to success has been arduous - DS Swain marks her fourth appearance on the iconic ITV series, but it's the first time she's secured a spot as a mainstay.

Breaking her silence on her battle with illness and personal woes, Vicky shared her story with the Mirror, revealing her newfound zest for life.

"I don't know if it's my previous medical history, but I am so proud to be here and just to be living each day to the full," Vicky confessed, reports the Daily Record. Reflecting on her past struggles, she admitted, "When my husband and I split up, I was quite down, bitter and vengeful, and when I was told I had [cancer], I remember thinking, 'If this is it for me, I've missed out on all this time with my daughter and I haven't really been the best person that I wanted to be.'

"The diagnosis re-centred me and made me focus on what is really important and what makes me happy. Now, every time I go into work and see the Coronation Street sign, it's quite overwhelming."

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Vicky Myers joined the Corrie cast as Ds Swain in 2021 (Image: ITV)

Vicky, 48, has intermittently graced our screens as the formidable DS Swain for the last three years, delving into the acid attack on Daisy Midgeley and Stephen Reid's reign of terror. However, soap chiefs have now promoted her to a full-time role, thrusting her into the limelight following her arrest of Roy on suspicion of murder, in the wake of teenager Lauren Bolton's disappearance.

This is a stark contrast to 2010 when her world was flipped upside down, and she found herself a single mother. Just a few months on, doctors spotted an unusual mark by chance while she accompanied her nephew to a medical appointment.

"My nephew has a heart condition," she reveals. "As we were about to leave, the doctor asked, 'Can I examine that mark on your leg? ' Within five days I was hospitalised. I had on three-quarter length combat trousers that day. They can be rolled up into shorts, which I did in the car just before the consultation, due to the sweltering heat of the June day. It's quite astounding to consider that if it had been a gloomy day the doctor would never have noticed the small dark mark on my calf. I certainly had a guardian angel looking out for me that day."

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DS Swain became a regular character earlier this year (Image: ITV) SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

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Medical professionals discovered she had skin cancer and her former partner assisted in caring for their daughter Meghan while she recovered from reconstructive surgery. After half a year, she attempted to return to auditions, but by 2013, worn out by the relentless rejection, she chose to abandon her acting aspirations.

"I felt financially, mentally and physically I needed a break just to breathe," she recalls. "Being an actress was tough. Sometimes the phone didn't ring, or I wasn't chosen for a role. It was incredibly stressful and I did whatever it took to pay the bills, even ironing for others. You tell yourself it's not your time yet, but that doesn't make things easier when you have children and bills I just couldn't make it work."

Vicky found employment in a casting house, observing as others auditioned for parts. "I knew I was going to return," she asserts. "Of course, I kept thinking, 'I need to secure a permanent full-time job'. But I didn't. Some might label that as stupidity or arrogance, but I would never have been content full-time in an office job."

DS Swain is Vicky's fourth role in the ITV soap (Image: UK)

In 2016, she landed her big opportunity in the Harlan Coben series The Five, followed by Channel 4's Ackley Bridge and The Long Shadow.

However, her ultimate dream was always to feature on Coronation Street. Vicky, hailing from Stockport, Greater Manchester, shares: "In the North, as soon as you mention you're an actress, people inquire, 'Oh, have you been in Coronation Street? ' Now I can affirm I have. On my first day, I strolled down the cobbles and I thought, 'I recognise you.' I've grown up watching the show, so it feels like home."

Her ambition was sparked as the daughter of pub landlords in Stockport. After leaving school she worked in telesales and by the age of 20 she was married with a child.

She reminisces: "After that I did all sorts of jobs, I was a cleaner, I worked behind a bar, I was a waitress. But when I was holding my daughter, I thought, 'Do I ever want to say to her when she's older, I wish I'd done this...' You lead by example, so I decided to make this dream become a reality. I picked up a copy of Yellow Pages and found the number of an acting and modelling agency."

Incredibly, Vicky's first gig was on Corrie, as she disclosed: "I was in scenes with Denise Welch and Phil Middlemiss, who played Natalie and Des Barnes."

Vicky once chose to abandon her acting aspirations. (Image: UK)

"I was playing a nurse and it was the episode where Des died. To watch Denise, and to learn the jargon and etiquette, was incredible, money can't buy that kind of experience."

She made several comebacks to the show, notably in 2007 as a paramedic and again in 2010 as a driver aiding Tyrone Dobbs after a car crash. Despite not securing a regular spot straight away, Vicky remained undeterred, often forgoing holidays and nights out to chase her acting dreams.

Today, with her daughter Meghan now 28 and working as a teacher, Vicky marvels at her path. She also recounted a humorous episode from when her character, Swain, apprehended Kelly Neelan in a hate crime plot.

"When Swain arrested Kelly Neelan for the hate crime storyline, I got shouted at in the street for arresting the wrong person," Vicky chuckles.

"It made me realise the enormity of Coronation Street and how viewers are so heavily invested in this iconic show. It's taken me a while to get here, but it's literally a dream come 'true'."

Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX

Coronation Street DS Swain star's real-life from cancer battle to bitter divorce

Coronation Street DS Swain star's real-life from cancer battle to bitter divorce

Coronation Street DS Swain star's real-life from cancer battle to bitter divorce

Coronation Street DS Swain star's real-life from cancer battle to bitter divorce

Coronation Street DS Swain star's real-life from cancer battle to bitter divorce