Tracy Shaw, known for her role as Maxine Peacock on Coronation Street, has given fans an emotional update amid her cancer battle
James Holt Senior Live and Breaking News Reporter and Jordan Lloyd Beck
22:10, 19 May 2026
Tracy Shaw has given fans an emotional update amid her cancer battle(Image: tracy.k.shaw/Instagram)
Coronation Street star Tracy Shaw was on the verge of tears as she issued an update on her cancer battle. The actress, 52, who is best known for having starred as Maxine Peacock on the ITV soap from 1995 until 2003, revealed last month that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and has been keeping fans updated ever since.
On Tuesday evening (May 19), she took to social media to post a video of herself wearing a headscarf, although she made it clear that she has not shaved her head, and admitted she had spent the morning having a ‘good cry’, the Mirror reports.
Speaking in a video posted to Instagram, she said: “I’m just going to be me, and my truth is…by the way, I’ve not shaved by hair off, I’ve just put a scarf on just because I’ve not done anything with it and I’m going to hospital.
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“Each morning I wake up and know that I have to go into hospital and receive more news, which has been going on for a long time, that unknown…I just think ‘I can’t go through with this anymore,’ but I’ve not even started my journey.
“I’ve had a good cry. I’ll go in later today and I’ll meet some other ladies who will start the treatment with me – chemo. And I’ll find out the date. 50% of me wants to get going. I want to know that it’s being shrunk and the cancer is being dealt with. When I wake up and I’ve got really bad headaches or I can feel another twinge in my other boob, I just think ‘Oh, it’s moving!’
Tracy has given fans another update(Image: tracy.k.shaw/Instagram)
“With HER2 cancer, we don’t really know what it’s doing, we know that the clips are in into know where those two lumps are placed, but until we’ve shrunk it… We, I mean the medical experts, I thank God for everyone who has raised money in the past for charities to be able to help scientists find new drugs be able to give women and gentleman like us a chance. If this was a few years ago, possibly they would’ve cut the cancer out but it’s not one that behaves, not that any one cancer does.
The actress, who also enjoyed a brief pop career with a cover of the Lonnie Gordon track Happenin’ All Over Again before going on to appear in Casualty, Doctors and Mile High, has been open and honest about her struggles with addiction in the past, but concluded that this time, she is only able navigate things by taking her illness one step at a time.
She added: “All forms of cancer are awful, most of the time, I get on with life but then I think that’s probably what we do. But the fact is when you wake up in the morning and you think ‘It hasn’t gone away.’ It isn’t like the addictions that I’ve recovered from by the grace of God. There appears to be a long road ahead, or a mountain.
“I had some great guidance which is ‘Don’t look up, just keep going to the next base camp, don’t climb Mt Everest, just keep taking one base camp at a time.’
Tracy starred as Maxine Heavey on Coronation Street, and her character married Ashley Peacock
“So today, I’ll be going into the hospital and I’ll be seeing my wonderful oncologist, and some other wonderful women on this journey with me, and I will face the next base camp.”
When Tracy broke the sad news almost a month ago, several of her co-stars offered the mum of two their support and left kind messages on social media.
Samia Longchambon, who has played Maria Connor in the soap since 2000, said: “Sending love to you Tracy.” Another former Corrie star Sally Ann Matthews, who portrayed Jenny Bradley, wrote: “Love you baby girl x.”
According to the NHS breast cancer is most common type of cancer in women in the UK. The main treatment for breast cancer in women and people with breasts is usually surgery. Other common treatments include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, treatment with hormones (hormone therapy), and targeted medicines and immunotherapy.
