Alex Kingston opens up about onstage health scare that led to cancer diagnosis

Alex Kingston has revealed that she discovered she had cancer only after a frightening onstage incident left her hemorrhaging during a live performance.

The ER and Doctor Who alum, 62, told The Independent that she had been feeling bloated and achy for months but initially dismissed her symptoms as signs of aging.

“I had assumed that the way I was feeling was old age,” Kingston told The Independent.. “Even though my body was telling me there was something very seriously wrong, I kept thinking, ‘Oh, I’ve got a bad UTI or fibroids.’”

Her health concerns escalated last summer while performing in The Other Boleyn Girl at the Chichester Festival.

During one show, Kingston began to bleed uncontrollably but continued performing. “That night on stage, I hemorrhaged,” she recalled. “I just knocked my knees together and prayed it would soak everything up.”

After seeking medical attention, doctors discovered cancer in her fallopian tubes. While the disease had not spread, Kingston underwent a hysterectomy and radiation treatment.

“It was tough to accept,” she said, “but the minute I had the operation, I suddenly felt like myself again.”

Now recovering, Kingston says her diagnosis has changed her outlook on life, and inspired her to say yes to new challenges.

She’s currently competing on Strictly Come Dancing, the UK series that inspired Dancing with the Stars.

“When they approached me, I thought, ‘Life is too short,’” she shared. “Go for whatever it is you secretly long to do, because if you’re not brave and you don’t do it, it won’t happen.”

Kingston hopes sharing her story encourages others to take their symptoms seriously.

“Womb cancer is really tricky because it is so sneaky,” she said. “The body does know, and that was my body saying, ‘Help! There’s something really wrong.’ It’s so important to seek advice and have a check-up.”