Beverley Callard, 69, reveals an ambulance was called after she 'lost consciousness' while on set filming her soap role as she's sent home to rest amid breast cancer battle

Beverley Callard has revealed she 'lost consciousness' and staff were forced to call an ambulance while she was filming her new soap role.The former Coronation Street star, 69, was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year and has been updating her followers during her treatment and hospital appointments.In a post on Instagram on Thursday, Beverley revealed she has been sent home to rest after she became unwell while filming her role in the Irish soap Fair City.The soap star previously told her followers she was awaiting results of a biopsy on her stomach. She said: 'I've been at work this week, filming the most amazing scenes. Really good, great scripts working with people who are so good, but good fun as well.'And it was all going swimmingly, and then today, I've no idea what happened to me, but I was all ready to start a new scene with Emily, who plays my daughter, and we just sat there getting ready, about to run lines, and I lost consciousness for a few minutes, maybe 10 minutes, which was very odd. Beverley Callard has revealed she 'lost consciousness' and staff were forced to call an ambulance while she was filming her new soap role'Because of protocol, they had to check me out and everything. An ambulance came. I desperately didn't want to go to hospital.'I recovered and felt fine again but I can't explain what it was. I was boiling hot. I seemed to lose 10 minutes but I don't know why. I was checked out by the ambulance men and everything and they were happy to let me come home as long as I rested. 'So I've got rest all weekend but now, I have to tell you, I feel a complete fraud because I'm home and I feel perfectly normal. The only thing that did happen was my blood pressure was through the roof but obviously I've not been right since the radiotherapy.'But aside from that, I don't know what's going on. But I'm at the hospital again next week, so I'll probably know more, and I'm awaiting the results of these other tests and the biopsies they've taken from my stomach.'So, that's it really. As I say, I feel a bit of a fraud, but the dogs know I'm poorly, they won't leave me alone again. So, there we go. If anybody else has had this, please let me know, because I don't know what's going on with me at all. Lots of love.'Earlier this month, Beverley revealed she's been referred to a stomach specialist for further tests.After her visit to the hospital, Beverley told fans on Instagram that she's 'torturing' herself after a doctor told her she needs to rest more.Beverley explained: 'I've just come out of the hospital and I saw my surgeon, who is amazing, and my future surgeon because my last surgeon was in England, this one is in Ireland and he's absolutely lovely. The former Coronation Street star was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year and has been updating her followers during her treatment and hospital appointments'They want me to have some more scans and they also want me to see a stomach specialist, a gastroenterologist, because something's not quite right. And he said, "Mind yourself!" They say that in Ireland!'He said I'm overdoing it, which I know. And he said I've got to rest a bit more, which I know. But it's really hard because I just can't because if I lay down because I'm tired, my mind tortures... I torture myself. So it's quite hard.'I'm doing okay, I'm not going into the depths of despair or depressed as such. I'm not there at all.'But it's just I think, "Oh, when will I be better?" I'm not a very patient person! But I was there with dozens of women who are all going through the same thing and many of them far worse.'So, really, I thank my lucky stars. People come up and say hello and ask how Jon's doing, because for partners it's really hard as well. So that's it, I'll keep you updated.'Beverley joined the cast of Ireland's RTÉ’s soap opera Fair City in February as Lily, the quirky and unpredictable long-lost mother of Carrigstown resident Gwen.That same month, while she was just about to go on set, the soap star got a call from her doctor that she had breast cancer and so returned to the UK to have surgery and treatment.Speaking about when she will find out how well the radiotherapy has worked she said: 'I don't know the actual prognosis yet, I see my oncologist again in two weeks' time. So I'll know more then, but I'm doing well.'The actress said how people had told her not to rush going to work and prioritise resting at home.Beverley Callard has finished her radiotherapy and is part of the cast of Ireland's RTÉ’s soap opera Fair City.Revealing why she made the decision to be back on set, she said: 'If you are, you just sit and feel sorry for yourself. Believe me, I've done that as well, as we all do. But I need my mind to be occupied.'If I've got lines to learn, it really helps. And believe me, I've had loads to learn, so it's been good.'Beverley, who is known for playing Liz McDonald on Coronation Street, first publicly revealed her diagnosis on Ireland's RTE Late Late Show earlier this year.At the time, she announced she was having her lymph nodes removed as a precautionary measure in a bid to stop the cancer spreading.Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?What is breast cancer?It comes from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue it is called 'invasive'. Some people are diagnosed with 'carcinoma in situ', where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.Most cases develop in those over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare.Staging indicates how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.What causes breast cancer?A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply 'out of control'.Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics.What are the symptoms of breast cancer?The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid-filled cysts, which are benign. The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.How is breast cancer diagnosed?Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammogram, a special X-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours.Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest X-ray.How is breast cancer treated?Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments are used.Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour.Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying.Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the 'female' hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.How successful is treatment?The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure.The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71 means more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call its free helpline on 0808 800 6000