EastEnders star shows behind-the-scenes ‘emotional process’ in cancer storyline
In recent scenes, EastEnders fans have seen Denise Fox lose her hair after battling blood cancer.
Denise Fox has been battling cancer in the BBC soap(Image: BBC)
Actress Diane Parish has given EastEnders viewers a behind-the-scenes look at her character’s hair loss journey.
Diane has played Denise Fox in the long-running BBC soap since 2006 and has recently been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML), an aggressive form of blood cancer.
In recent scenes, people have seen the effects of Denise having chemotherapy as her hair has begun to fall out. In one harrowing moment, her partner, Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), walked in on Denise when she didn’t have a headscarf on, and he was taken aback.
Now, the soap star has shared the lengthy process she undertook for those scenes in an Instagram post. It shows Diane in the make-up chair while the bald cap is applied.
She captioned the post: “Denise Fox losing her hair was a painstaking, lengthy and highly technical process. Not just a case of ‘putting a cap on your head’.
The BBC soap star shared some behind-the-scenes footage of her getting ready for the scenes(Image: Instagram/officialdianeparish)
“Thankfully nowadays you don’t sit with just a straw to breathe through while the prosthetic skull cap cast is built around your head (I’m super claustrophobic) now 3D scanner technology is used so you go away while that is done over a number of weeks in your absence, on a super realistic bust of your head then begins the process in the chair on the day of shooting.”
The actress explained they had two days to film two scenes, both at different stages of hair loss, which resulted in around four to five hours in the make-up chair.
Praising the team that worked on securing the bald cap, Diane gave her followers a rundown on what happened each day in order to obtain the finished look.
Diane’s character in the soap is currently battling blood cancer(Image: Instagram/officialdianeparish)
She added: “It was massively important to @bbceastenders and myself to do this justice and be as realistic and accurate as possible to honour and respect the seriousness of the cancer journey.
“I am forever grateful to Caroline, Renee, and Ben Wadey for seeing me through this sometimes quite harsh and emotional process with sensitivity and care. Top of their game pros. You can reach out to talk to @bloodcancer_uk. Information, if you choose to register as a donor @acltcharity and @anthon.”
It wasn’t long before people commented on the post, with many praising Denise for portraying the heartbreaking storyline.
EastEnders fans were quick to flood the actress with support over the storyline she’s portraying(Image: Instagram/officialdianeparish)
One person said: “Heartbreaking scenes but incredible work.” Someone else added: “This storyline is amazing, so proud of you @officialdianeparish.”
Another person wrote: “I was so shocked when I saw it on TV, it looked so, so real! The team have done an amazing job, and your acting in this story has been next level.”
A fourth commented: “As a cancer survivor, I know exactly what it’s like to lose your hair. It’s the worst feeling ever! You are playing this part so well, what a great actress!”
If you or someone you know is living with cancer, Macmillan operates a free support line. You can call on 0808 808 00 00 seven days a week from 8am to 8pm.
